Editorial: Climate change and legislators

When Tamil Nadu topped the Niti Aayog’s SDG13 (Climate Action) Index for its policies and programmes relating to climate change, there will be an expectation not only about robust policies and implementation mechanisms but also greater awareness among the lawmakers. With the state having such an enviable track record, one would assume that Tamil Nadu MLAs would be well-informed about climate change. But a recent study belied such expectations when it found that there was a substantial knowledge gap among the MLAs as 35 per cent of MLAs surveyed scored very low on a climate literacy quiz. This is a major cause of concern.

A legislator, as a people’s representative, is the key link between the communities and the government.

People often bring to the legislator’s notice the problems faced by their communities. With sound knowledge of climate change, MLAs will be able to connect the seemingly disparate dots and see the link between people’s problems and climate change. They can raise the issue in the State Assembly so that the government can take necessary action. With the existing knowledge gaps, many of the MLAs will not be able to fulfill this responsibility.

The State Government has been studying major climate change issues in the state. For instance, the Tamil Nadu Wetland Mission has been working on the restoration and rejuvenation of wetlands in the state.

Here again, the MLAs can play a critical role in raising awareness among people and promoting the participation of local communities and other stakeholders in the management of wetlands. It is important, therefore, that MLAs are equipped with the knowledge and understanding of wetlands and how they are managed sustainably.

The MLAs lack an understanding of the major environmental challenges of the State. Coral bleaching is a case in point. The issue has been widely studied and reported in the media ever since the Central government declared the Gulf of Mannar as a Biosphere Reserve in 1989 because of its rich biodiversity. Studies conducted during 2005-09 showed that there has been coral bleaching – the loss of vibrant colours, indicating a degradation of the reefs. Yet, the MLA lacked sufficient knowledge about such an important issue.

The environmental attitudes of the MLAs were also probed in the study. While climate literacy measures knowledge and facts, environmental attitudes assess opinions, perceptions and beliefs. The MLAs demonstrated strong preservation-oriented attitudes which were in sync with their scepticism towards scientific and technological solutions to environmental challenges. This finding in particular comes as a surprise as the MLAs are presumed to have imbibed a scientific temperament. One would expect them to have a mindset that prioritises critical thinking and questioning, and logical and evidence-based reasoning in decision-making. In debates on future policies, laws and interventions, they will either be indifferent or silent, or, worse, derail it with their flawed understanding.

The need of the hour is to take steps to equip the MLAs with scientific knowledge about climate science and policy. This can be done in multiple ways. Secondly, informed MLAs can be an effective two-way link between the public and the government on environmental challenges. Only then can the State come up with region- and local community-specific adaptation and mitigation interventions, and the MLAs could play their due role in averting climate change, which the State government rightly views as a “humanitarian crisis”.