Coal discourse in India: Good governance as a panacea for India’s energy future?

Climate change and decarbonization have become widely discussed and pressing issues. India, aligning with this global trend, introduced the slogan ‘Panchamrut Ki Saugat’ at the UN’s annual climate change conference, the Conference of the Parties (COP), in Glasgow in 2021, symbolising its commitment to climate action. At the same time, as the world's second-largest consumer of coal and the third-highest emitter of CO2, India remains heavily dependent on coal with no apparent decline in its utilisation. Employing discourse analysis and incumbent discursive strategies, we uncover country-specific meanings surrounding coal in contemporary India and critically examine whether and how the official coal discourse aligns with the rising global environmental awareness and changes over time. Compared to the existing research in this field and based on our findings, we reveal that along the traditional pro-coal frames, the evidence from India gives rise to an unprecedented and overarching category – good sector governance. The appealing vision allows for only incremental change, effectively delegitimizing radical decarbonization efforts, cementing carbon lock-in, and contesting alternative energy realities.