ASSIGNMENT

CLIMATE CHANGE
TOPIC-CLIMATE DIPLOMACY (GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE)
SUBMITTED TO-MS. VANI CHOUDHARY
SUBMITTED BY-SHWETA VINAIK
ROLL NO.20042741
BA(HONS.) SEM VI

We are living in an unprecedented time of triple environmental emergency of- climate change,
biodiversity loss, and pollution, a term coined by the UN in their recent report- Making Peace
with Nature. Such is the urgency that UNSG, Mr. Antonio Guterres defined 2021 as a critical year
to reset our relationship with nature. Despite 6 years passed since the UNGA adopted the 2030
Agenda which provides a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet,
and coming up with the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the world is still witnessing
sharp declines in the critical climate parameters and other SDGs.
The problem lies in the way we are addressing climate change and other SDGs. Though the
nations are prioritizing climate change in their policy, yet the pace of adoption is worrisome.
Until we don’t bring the collaborative efforts from all the stakeholders, the fear of ending up on
a planet worse than today will continue to loom large.
In this context, it is very heartening to see the efforts by India in integrating climate change in its
diplomacy.

What is Climate Diplomacy?

Climate Diplomacy can be defined as what helps address the consequences and causes of
climate change differently. Climate security risks need mitigation as climate change impacts
food and water scarcity, sea-level rise, land degradation, and further worsening potential
conflicts. Climate diplomacy can change the perception of national interest and cause the
nations to give different instructions to different negotiators that, in turn, give better results.
There are several unique approaches and entry points of climate diplomacy. This is as important
as engaging in peacebuilding and conflict prevention. A new era of climate diplomacy is
required to manage geopolitical changes proactively. This requires cooperation between
diplomats and other levels and branches of government, between businesses and governments,
and between regions and countries. Climate diplomacy is a step towards climate for peace.

Need for Climate Diplomacy

Melting glaciers in the Andes and the Himalayas, storms in Oceania, and the Caribbean,
changing weather patterns in the Middle East and Africa are all enormous challenges posed by
climate change. The repercussions are raising geopolitical questions having implications for
development and livelihood, which requires a strategic response to ensure sustainable
development. Climate-fragility risks need to be addressed as part of fragility and instability
considerations today globally as droughts, floods, migration of people across borders, sea level,
extreme weather events, etc. are on the rise and are further increasing global challenges.
Diplomacy requires to use of every tool in the box to address the different impacts of climate
change. The questions raised lie at the heart of international politics and point towards climate
change’s potential to cause uncertain impacts on societies, increase the risk of instability and
conflict, and undermine human security.

Growing sensitivity

The policymakers and scientists worldwide are coming to a consensus that climate change will
act as a trigger for international security. A multitude of scientific reports has supported this.
Several position papers, official statements, United Nations’ resolutions, the European Union,
and other regional and international organizations have followed this lead. In 2011, the German
Federal Foreign Office reached out to experts, organizations, and stakeholders worldwide to
give a fresh outlook to negotiations and build support for a global climate agreement, which
concluded in 2015. Hundreds of decision-makers and thousands of citizens participated in
roundtables from New Delhi to Bogotá. Consultations came from Port of Spain to Wellington,
and climate conferences were held from Doha to Durban. These activities’ objectives were to
share viewpoints and identify priorities to develop joint strategies to address climate security
challenges. It is evident that to deepen the standing of climate change, strong political
commitment is required at the regional, national, and global levels; the consensus of the 2011
United Nations Security Council Open debate on climate change and security demonstrates the
recognition of the risks that emanate from climate change.

The German initiative created momentum that induced other actors to follow, and as a result,
subsequent climate security conferences were held in London and Seoul in 2012 and 2013,
respectively. Different regions prioritize different parts of climate diplomacy and view it from
different points. The German Federal Foreign Office emphasizes holding discussions at the
regional level. Livelihood and development issues, green economy, and geopolitical questions
can play a crucial role and add relevance to their ability to contribute to the solutions. The
approach needs demands through debates with civil society, expert communities, and regional
organizations through informal consultations at international conferences and outreach
activities.

After 2011, the German ministry highlighted the security implications of climate change at the
United Nations General Assembly’s side event. February of 2013 saw initiatives by the United
Kingdom and Pakistan, which led to the Security Council taking up security and climate in an
informal meeting.

Paris Agreement 2015

The Paris Agreement has provided a framework for countries to act together. Faster action and
cooperation would come along by building trust in this new multilateral system. Some countries
still feel unable to do their part. Organizations such as E3G are building coalitions between non-
state actors and governments to give decision-makers more confidence so that they have the
empowerment to drive the global transformation to climate safety. While ending fossil fuel use
would lead to the destabilization of some countries, climate impacts threaten others’ survival.
These factors impact the pace of climate action, national security, and the relationship between
countries. Independent organizations work across government departments alongside civil
networks in the UK, the US, and Europe. Some of the actions of international organizations
include:

Connecting diplomatic outreach to real economy dynamics to build momentum and confidence
for the faster section in main sectors. Zero-emission transportation and catalytic events on
cooling situations are being supported by drawing on the experience of Powering Past Coal
Alliance.
The Stockholm International Peace and Research Institute and Sweden spearheaded the
creation of the UN Climate Security Mechanism to ensure the United Nations system is
prepared for climate conflagrations and migrations due to several climate impacts
The European Commission and the Member states are using climate action as the foundation of
the European Green Deal, a foothold for a more significant role on the world stage and their
COVID-19 response framework.

Climate Diplomacy in the World

Supporting nations to achieve national climate targets and implementing the Paris Agreement
are strategic security and foreign policy priorities. An era of climate diplomacy is one where
climate risks are integrated into foreign policy agendas to prevent the next crisis before it takes
place and to manage geopolitical changes proactively. Climate change is just like transboundary
rivers, terrorism, and desertification, as none of these abides arbitrary administrative orders.
This is where diplomacy steps in, and the defense community is needed to help because this
cannot be solved by nation-states alone. Diplomacy helps in understanding the change in the
interaction between countries. The climate risks have to be addressed at the highest diplomatic
levels. Foreign ministers can do a lot in foreign policy. All of the issues have concrete logical and
technological solutions that can help address the matter. This is true that there are
technological solutions, but the issue needs to be put on the big kid’s table, such as of the
foreign ministers and defense ministers, and not on the little kid’s as done by the United States
of America. The USA did not place this issue at the national security council level, and thus it is
being treated like the little issue environmental ministers have to take care of. This way, the
issue cannot be solved anytime soon. There are policies to fight against environmental
degradation, and there are policies to deal with environmental degradation situations caused by
climate change. When there is a crisis that has already caused a loss of stability and requires
mediation and peacebuilding, there are classic diplomatic tools for that. All this revolves around
considerate climate aspects. The peacebuilding may not be stable if it is built so that it does not
consider climate results. As long as the dialogue is being promoted and a forum to discuss
challenges, diplomacy can be institutionalized, and problems can be addressed better. It is not
just climate change but ecosystem degradation in general.

Role of Least Developed Countries

This is climate diplomacy in practice, and it is essential for a robust international response to
climate change. The LDCs or the Least Developed Countries are most actively engaged in climate
diplomacy because of the massive exposure to climate change. It is in their national interest to
manage the impacts by pursuing international action. It is a far more significant challenge for
LDCs than other developed and developing countries to participate in international decision-
making. This is because of the limited financial resources devoted to diplomacy, and the
capability to interact in diplomatic forums is bleak because of the language barrier. Even after
such challenges, the representatives of LDCs have led to the promotion of equitable and
ambitious climate decisions globally. The alliances formed brought about the Paris Agreement, a
plan to adapt climate change impacts, and an agreement to reduce emissions. Engagement in
public democracy tells about the urgent need for climate action.

The global carbon system comes under an interlocked system. Low carbon systems’ transition
has significant effects, such as changes in different economies, and politics hamper politics and
economies in others. If a country cuts its carbon emissions to the bone and others are
honorable in the extreme, it will be of little use. The consequences of climate change will be felt
despite the extent of their sacrifice or effort. Similarly, waiting for other nations to do something
and not doing anything alone is also not an option, especially when adaption is involved. Global
leadership is shaped by the governance approach and policies of a nation that is conscious of
climate change impacts. In Germany, the fall in renewable energy prices is driven by its
domestic program that supports global prices for renewables. This is an example of global
engagement.

Dialogue on Climate Change in:

The Southern Mediterranean

Experts on water, applied economics, and food security from Morocco, Palestine, and Egypt met
in May 2011 to exchange perspectives on climate change and response mechanisms in the
region. Recommendations included encouragement of integration of climate change into
existing agreements and regional initiatives on shared resources and fostering transparent
management.

Latin America
To address the food and water security risks, natural scientists in Geography, hydrology,
meteorology, and civil society experts from Peru, Argentina, Colombia, and Mexico met with
foreign security and development policy communities from European countries.

Central Asia
The experts from the region highlighted the interlinkages between water and energy security
trends. The five Central Asian Countries can build up friction as local dispute accommodation
over water is limited. The plan includes going beyond a single sector approach and gradually
involve Afghanistan in cooperation mechanisms, which plays a significant role in water security.

South Asia
In the Himalayan sub-region, energy, water, and food are closely interlinked. The area is most
vulnerable to climate change impacts mainly due to the effects on wetlands. The dialogue drew
insights from the ecosystem’s crucial elements and their vital link in protection against
floods.The long-term goal of climate diplomacy is to build commitment amongst scientists,
decision-makers, and the general public to abide by the globally binding climate protection
agreement of 2015 and implement more ambitious natural climate policies by 2020.

Brazil
Being the ninth-largest energy consumer globally, Brazil is vigorously searching for sustainable
energy systems that can meet future challenges. The government is funded by the German
Federal Foreign Office to promote the benefits of renewable energies.

Bangladesh– Bangladesh is engaging its youngest citizens to generate awareness and knowledge
for the protection of the environment and climate change adaption and mitigation.

Russia– Russia has been giving increasing consideration to renewable energies by having a
trilateral exchange with Germany and the United Kingdom.
Climate Diplomacy in India

India is a large market and an economy with the second largest population. Thus, India plays a
vital role in being a part of positive spill-over effects. The country is focused on moving global
warming and climate change to the top of the foreign policy agenda. This way, India would be
able to draw benefits from its climate actions. The nation’s stance on climate diplomacy evolved
in the 1990s by highlighting the issue of environmental colonialism through the principle of
‘common but differentiated responsibilities. ‘CBDR came into existence because developed
countries blamed developing countries like China and India for rising global temperatures. Thus,
the developing nations put forward the principle of ‘common but differentiated responsibilities’
so that their developmental needs cant become a way of paying for the excesses of the
developed world. The stance developed in 2015 by pushing the establishment of institutions like
the International Solar Alliance.
India is amongst the very few nations that voluntarily disclose all the climate diplomacy
practices they follow. India uses many renewables. For example, India has banned single-use
plastic bags which has led to keeping its per capita plastic consumption to 11 kg whereas China
and the USA have 38kg and 109kg respectively. Being a developing nation, India is doing very
well. Climate diplomacy in India is constructing a development model that considers all its
needs and climate change, such as a focus on adaption and encouraging responsible
engagement from the Western countries on issues such as technology and finance. India’s
economic gain from technological cooperation for the environment can ensure sustainable
development with other countries, which further impacts global engagement. India’s national
priorities are being framed more correctly and accurately to ensure a more reasonable
engagement with the International climate change process. India cannot dictate any rules to the
industries. For example, in the United States of America, the government can quickly ban the
industries producing a lot of carbon dioxide and are harming the environment; this can be done
because they are a developed nation. However, this cannot be done in India because it is a
developing country. India cannot dictate any rules. The following are some significant steps
being taken by India at the regional level as a critical player in the Indo-Pacific region towards
better climate diplomacy:

Climate Action Strategy SAGAR (meaning “ocean” or “sea”)- Security and Growth for All in the
Region are the heart of India’s maritime security strategy. While the country is tapping into its
blue economy potential along with its regional partners in the region of the Indian Ocean,
elaborate technical, technological, regulatory, and logistical steps are being undertaken to
develop climate-resilient ports in the region- an effort steered by climate diplomacy.
Strategic alignment: Sinking cities and rising sea levels, number of cyclones, tsunamis, and
floods have caused strategic concerns. Therefore, India is aligning its foreign policies with
climate change issues. In the recent past, India took a step towards climate change by
cooperating with Sri Lanka. If pushed further, similar initiatives can provide an advantage to the
country over China in the Indo-pacific region.
Trade: To promote climate change, conscious global trade, economic engagements that support
climate technology like trade in Germany’s renewable energy sector.
Food Security: India is pushing its climate-resilient agriculture in its multilateral and bilateral
dialogues. Trade is being encouraged in sustainable agricultural products. To create a demand
for the same. This would help address global food security issues.
Renewable Energy promotion: The Indian government announced to switch the government-
run ports to renewable energy as a part of its green energy agenda making India the first
country to do so. India will lead a regional strategy to streamline greenhouse gas emissions
regulations by UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Cost of climate solutions: The effects of climate-related impacts on international trade are
evident in all countries. However, the cost of inaction is much more than measures to cope with
climate change. Thus, India is a part of an Asia-Pacific Project that copes up with climate
change.

Conclusion
The prioritization of climate change as one of India’s foreign policy instruments is a welcome
change. Climate change is viewed from the economic and environmental point of view, but it
also has significant effects on strategic considerations. Moving ahead, India is focusing on its
neighbours to play a constructive role in the climate change domain through its Neighbourhood
First policy. India is being projected as a responsible and sensitive global leader by moving
towards climate diplomacy and making climate change an integral part of its foreign policy
ethics.