Best of BS Opinion: India must hold the line on climate action

Today's opinions examine India's climate diplomacy lessons, vaccine resistance amid medical advances, AI's real-world limitations, RSS outreach to Gen Z and the growing threat of cognitive warfare

Hello, and welcome to the Best of BS Opinion, our wrap of the day's Opinion page. 

The erosion of the global climate regime can be traced to compromises made at the 2009 Copenhagen summit, when BASIC countries, including India, accepted concessions that weakened the distinction between developed and developing nations. Shyam Saran writes that this diluted the principle of Common but Differentiated Responsibilities, undermined binding commitments on finance and technology, and eventually paved the way for the weaker, universally applicable framework of the Paris Agreement. The US, having secured many of its negotiating objectives, subsequently withdrew from the agreement. India’s experience, the column suggests, shows the importance of defending established principles and holding firm on issues of national interest, even when doing so means standing alone. 

 

Rapid advances in artificial intelligence and biotechnology could transform medicine, from vaccines designed to tackle rapidly mutating viruses to artificial bacteriophages that attack antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Yet these breakthroughs require sensible policy, rigorous testing, and public trust. Instead, the US is retreating from vaccine mandates, invoking bodily autonomy and religious freedom despite evidence of the public-health costs of lower vaccination rates, notes Devangshu Datta. The rollback of a flu vaccine mandate for US defence personnel was followed by an outbreak that infected 220 soldiers at a Texas air base. Such ideological resistance to vaccination could prevent society from fully exploiting technologies capable of reshaping medical science. 

Mohan Bhagwat’s recent outreach to Gen Z has fuelled speculation that the RSS is moving towards a more liberal position, but the shift is better understood as political pragmatism, writes Shekhar Gupta. Bhagwat has defended the right to protest, rejected the portrayal of Gen Z protesters as anti-national, called for dialogue rather than obedience, and stressed the need to respect younger Indians. His comments come as the Modi government faces political setbacks and growing youth discontent. Gupta interprets the RSS chief’s interventions as a possible caution to the government, with the organisation assuming the role of an elder or mentor, despite little change to its core ideology. 

AI has transformed the technology sector and attracted enormous investment, but its impact on everyday life remains far less dramatic than its promoters suggest, says Mihir S Sharma. While advances such as automated coding, AI agents, drug discovery, and mathematical problem-solving demonstrate the technology’s potential, adoption of its more ambitious applications remains limited. Only a small share of workers use generative or agentic AI daily, while self-driving cars, AI-enabled medicine, and education have yet to see widespread transformation. Sharma argues that AI is over-promising and under-delivering because breakthroughs developed within the tech industry have not translated effectively into broader society. Its ultimate impact will depend on deployment and dissemination, not just better algorithms.