Tracing Policy Changes in the Indian Climate Justice Discourse: Comparing Policy Beliefs and Advocacy Coalition During Copenhagen, Paris, and Glasgow Climate Conferences

Indian climate policy has evolved as a multi-stakeholder process with dominant underpinnings of justice and equity. The existing literature documents the centrality of civil society, academic and governmental actors, and their networks in driving different justice related agendas within the policy subsystem. However, it inadequately explains how the climate justice policy discourse has evolved over time. The current study aims to uncover changes in the dominant elements of the climate justice discourse in India. It employs print media data from three English dailies corresponding to major international climate conferences of parties (COP): 2009, 2015, and 2021. It draws theoretical insights from the Advocacy Coalition Framework (ACF). The analysis has revealed two coalitions in 2009 and three coalitions in each of the 2015 and 2021 periods with actors promoting different agendas related to international and domestic climate justice. As the singular demand for international climate justice transforms to moderate acceptance of domestic climate action, the domestic climate justice movement in India gains strength and diversifies. The study provides useful insight into the trajectories related to climate justice and foregrounds the need to engage with domestic climate justice concerns for effective climate action in the coming years.