Ten-Year Study Shows Climate Change Took Small Share of Parliament Questions

UPDATE - follow-up to Only 3.3% of 8,702 parliamentary questions in 10 years accounted for Climate Change in India: A new report titled Climate on the Floor shows that climate change made up only 3.3 percent of 8,702 parliamentary questions examined over a ten-year period from December 2015 to December 2025 in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.

Report Details

Authored by Hajira Puthige from Mangaluru and released in New Delhi by Congress MP Jairam Ramesh, the study analyzed 713 starred and 7,989 unstarred questions across eight broad areas. Clean energy and decarbonisation took the largest share at 37.7 percent, while climate finance accounted for just 0.3 percent and global climate governance made up 1.3 percent. Other attendees at the launch included climate expert Soumya Dutta, environmental lawyer Ritwick Dutta, Centre for Financial Accountability Executive Director Joe Athialy, and Maadhyam's Maansi Verma.

Key Findings

The report found that parliamentary attention spikes after major disasters like the 2021 Uttarakhand glacier burst rather than through sustained long-term planning. The National Adaptation Fund for Climate Change was reclassified as a non-scheme expense from 2023-24 with no new projects. Ruling NDA members mostly asked status questions on programs like PM-KUSUM and Green Hydrogen, while opposition members asked about implementation gaps and funding shortages. The government also rejected calls for a separate Climate Change Act, stating the existing Environment Protection Act is enough.

Context

Parliamentary questions are a key tool for lawmakers to seek information from the government and hold ministries accountable, but time on the floor is limited and divided among many urgent national issues. Reports like this help researchers track how legislative priorities align with pressing environmental challenges over long periods.