India, China and Climate Cooperation

Abstract

India and China—two of the largest emitters today—share common concerns arising from climate change. Reports of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and several other studies have concluded that the two countries face imminent threat in the form of ecological degradation, food and water scarcity, agricultural shifts, health hazards, etc. due to climate change. In addition, India and China have shared national circumstances as developing countries. Both nations face serious third world challenges such as socio-economic development, poverty eradication, and health and food security concerns in their respective home fronts. Home to approximately one third of the global population, the developmental needs and aspirations of these countries are enormous and certainly bound to be further complicated by the effects of climate change. India and China have emerged as key players in the international climate change negotiations voicing the concerns of the developing world and ensuring that issues of equity and justice are incorporated in any climate change related international agreement. Given the commonalities of the problems faced by these countries, India and China have embarked on halting yet deliberate climate diplomacy over the years. The core concern of this article is to explore the nature and extent to which India and China have developed cooperative engagement on climate change both at the bilateral as well as the multilateral levels. The article would also seek to analyse the challenges that stand in the way to this cooperative endeavour. Prospects for further cooperation would be explored in the final section.

The Impact of Climate Change on India-Russia Relations

“…This shared viewpoint between Russia and India reflects a critical perspective on the distribution of responsibilities for climate change mitigation. Both countries, as members of BRICS, argue that the burden of addressing climate change should primarily lie with wealthy industrial nations, given their historical contributions as the primary producers of GHG emissions (Mizo 2016).…”

After the Paris Agreement: What Role for the BRICS in Global Climate Governance?

“…Another example is solar energy, which other scholars have identified as an issue ripe for increased cooperation given China is the largest solar manufacturer in the world and India has an ongoing appetite for solar panels as the country strives to meet its target of sourcing 175 gigawatts of solar by 2022, a target it looks set to surpass (Mizo, ). The prospects for cooperation between China and India on solar power in the post‐Paris environment were given a further boost at the UNFCCC negotiations in Bonn in 2017, when China announced that it would join the Indian‐led International Solar Alliance, which aims to promote solar power in developing countries (Goswami, ).…”