84% Indians Feel Climate Impact, 62% Want to Leave Coal Untapped

For climate and energy professionals, this survey is a game-changer: the world’s second-most populous country and third-largest emitter is showing a clear public mandate to ditch coal. The data from over 5,000 respondents suggests India’s climate policy is no longer a top-down elite project but a bottom-up demand, potentially unlocking faster renewable deployment and regulatory reform. This shift in sentiment, if sustained, could reshape global emissions trajectories and investment flows into clean energy for decades.

A landmark survey by the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication and CVoter International reveals a dramatic shift in how Indians perceive global warming. Conducted between December 2025 and February 2026 among 5,427 adults, the study finds that 84% of respondents now say they have personally experienced the effects of global warming—a 34-percentage-point leap from the 50% recorded in 2011. This surge in lived experience is matched by heightened anxiety: 75% are worried about heat waves, and 92% consider global warming an important issue demanding policy change. Most strikingly, 62% believe India should leave most of its coal in the ground to secure a healthy, safe, and prosperous future, while only 31% advocate continued reliance on abundant coal reserves.

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Conducted between December 2025 and February 2026 among 5,427 adults, the study finds that 84% of respondents now say they have personally experienced the effects of global warming—a 34-percentage-point leap from the 50% recorded in 2011.

These numbers mark a watershed moment in India’s climate discourse. For years, the narrative in fast-industrializing India centered on a trade-off between development and decarbonization, with policymakers often framing coal as essential for energy access and economic growth. The survey upends that assumption by demonstrating that a clear majority of Indians now prioritize climate action over fossil fuel dependence. The 62% who favor leaving coal untapped is particularly significant given India’s status as the world’s second-largest coal consumer and a country where hundreds of millions still lack reliable electricity. This suggests that extreme weather events—heat waves, erratic monsoons, droughts, and floods—have become so frequent and severe that they are reshaping public opinion at a grassroots level.

The perception of harm is no longer abstract. 57% of respondents believe global warming is already harming people in India, and another 18% expect harm within a decade. This sense of present danger is consistent with scientific data: India experienced its hottest decade on record in the 2010s and has faced unprecedented heat waves, with temperatures exceeding 50°C in some regions. The survey’s finding that worry about global warming has risen 28 percentage points since 2011—and “very worried” by 37 points—points to a population that is not just aware but actively distressed. This distress is likely to translate into political pressure, especially as India approaches state and national elections. Politicians who ignore climate concerns risk alienating a vast and growing constituency.

From an energy policy perspective, the survey provides a mandate for accelerating the transition away from coal. India currently has over 210 GW of coal-based installed capacity and plans to add more, though renewable energy targets are also ambitious. The 62% figure could embolden the government to set a hard coal phase-out timeline, invest more aggressively in solar, wind, and storage, and perhaps introduce a carbon pricing mechanism. It also gives cover to reallocate subsidies from fossil fuels to clean energy. However, the 31% minority who prefer coal reliance, along with powerful coal-producing states and unions, will push back. The survey hints at a potential political rift: while national sentiment favors coal abandonment, regional economies dependent on mining may resist. Policymakers will need a just transition framework to reconcile these tensions.