Are politicians' environmental promises only greenwashing?

'Sustainability' is a convenient trope for politicians; it cloaks the social costs of energy-intensive development projects

- BHAVDEEP KANG

Mumbai's voters cast their ballots on a day when the air quality index (AQI) was classed as 'poor' to 'unhealthy'. Ditto for Ranchi. With air and water pollution in tier-1 and tier-2 cities reaching a point where ordinary citizens are articulating health and livelihood-related environmental concerns, political parties and even candidates have taken notice.

The result is that while freebies, identity politics and job creation dominated the electoral pitch, and the white noise of inter-party bickering took up sound bytes on all channels, the manifestos of both alliances took note of green issues - albeit reduced to a set of well-worn cliches on 'sustainability', 'ecology' and 'conservation'.

The BJP's Sankalp Patra 2024 (election manifesto) spoke in general terms of rejuvenating water bodies, protecting ecosystems, restoring mangrove forests, instituting awards for environmental protection and improved urban planning. It also mentioned the development of the Kass Plateau as a 'sustainable' tourism destination, and made specific promises for more green spaces in Mumbai and a push towards electric vehicles and water metros, presumably from the perspective of tackling air pollution.