Best of 2022: The Climate Crisis
BEST OF 2022:
THE CLIMATE CRISIS
3 January 2023
In 2022, the Indo-Pacific region witnessed several devastating climate-related disasters, from floods in Pakistan, India, and Bangladesh to heat waves and droughts in China. It is clear that the climate crisis has become an increasingly urgent global issue, and that concerted international action is necessary.
As one of the issues high on our list of priorities, 9DASHLINE regularly features op-eds and commentaries exploring the consequences of climate change across the Indo-Pacific and assessing efforts at mitigation and adaptation in the region. Here we present some of our most-read analyses on climate-related issues featured in the past year.
WRITTEN BY DR CLARE RICHARDSON-BARLOW — LECTURER, UNIVERSITY OF LEEDS, AND NON-RESIDENT FELLOW, THE NATIONAL BUREAU OF ASIA RESEARCH
In this piece, Clare Richardson-Barlow argues that while the Indo-Pacific region includes several of the world’s largest polluters, member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in particular present great potential for regional responses to the global climate change challenge. By placing itself at the centre of the Indo-Pacific’s regional architecture, ASEAN has an opportunity to provide a valuable network that will aid the region in meeting net-zero and energy transition goals via multilateral cooperation. According to the author, ASEAN’s role as a catalyst within the Indo-Pacific comes not only from its own example but also from the opportunity to drive cross-regional collaboration and dialogue.
WRITTEN BY DR MANALI KUMAR — POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCH FELLOW AND LECTURER, UNIVERSITY OF ST GALLEN, AND EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, 9DASHLINE
Here, Manali Kumar draws attention to South Asia as a particularly disaster-prone region on the frontlines of climate change, arguing that the natural disasters of 2022 were only early indicators of what South Asia must prepare itself for in the coming years. The author notes that countries from the region must collaborate to hold wealthy countries to their promises of delivering the climate finance they have promised so far. However, such concerted action is only possible if South Asian countries finally set aside their mutual animosities and start developing transnational and regional mechanisms to adapt to climate change and recover from disasters.
WRITTEN BY APOORVA JAIN — RESEARCH ANALYST, JANES
Also focusing on South Asia, in this article, Apoorva Jain examines the region’s response to the devastating floods in Pakistan in August and September 2022, underscoring the urgency of establishing regional mechanisms for facilitating collective responses to climate emergencies. The author notes that disaster diplomacy in South Asia has largely taken the form of bilateral responses, usually consisting of government-led and people-led efforts, with regional collaboration facing multiple impediments. Jain also highlights several ways to get out of this predicament, and concludes that disaster aid and relief can be an effective diplomatic tool in the region.
WRITTEN BY DR RUDABEH SHAHID — NON-RESIDENT SENIOR FELLOW, ATLANTIC COUNCIL’S SOUTH ASIA CENTRE, AND SENIOR CONSULTANT, EUROPEAN INSTITUTE FOR INTERNATIONAL LAW AND INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS, AND SIRAZOOM MUNIRA — PROGRAM OFFICER, CLIMATE VULNERABILITY PROGRAMME (CFV) GLOBAL PARLIAMENTARY GROUP
Looking at the specific case of Bangladesh, here, Rudabeh Shahid and Sirazoom Munira examine where the country sits on the broad spectrum of climate geopolitics and what steps it can consider to navigate the challenges posed by the climate crisis in the years to come. According to the authors, for the realisation of the Paris climate goals, it is imperative for Dhaka to explore the possibilities of new pathways to achieve national targets. Additionally, Bangladesh needs the global community to know more about its plight, so that it can benefit from mobilisations of the private and public sectors during future climate-related catastrophes.
WRITTEN BY DR ZENEL GARCIA — ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR, U.S. ARMY WAR COLLEGE, AND PHILLIP GUERREIRO — PHD CANDIDATE, FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY
In this piece, Zenel Garcia and Phillip Guerreiro draw attention to the shortcomings of China’s water management policy and Beijing’s inability to address its chronic water scarcity problems, arguing that these will have exponentially detrimental effects on the country’s environment, economy, and society. The authors highlight that Chinese officials’ reliance on water diversion, dams, and reservoirs as the primary mechanism for solving China’s water scarcity problem is based on flawed assumptions. Alarmingly, they conclude that Beijing’s ‘solution’ to its water security dilemma causes even more insecurity — both for itself and its neighbours — rather than alleviating the issue.
WRITTEN BY DR MIRIAM PRYS-HANSEN — LEAD RESEARCH FELLOW AND HEAD OF RESEARCH PROGRAMME ‘GLOBAL ORDERS AND FOREIGN POLICES’, GERMAN INSTITUTE FOR GLOBAL AND AREA STUDIES, AND SIMON KAACK — RESEARCH ASSISTANT, GERMAN INSTITUTE FOR GLOBAL AND AREA STUDIES
Moving the focus to the international level, Miriam Prys-Hansen and Simon Kaack discuss Sino-Indian climate cooperation, arguing that tensions in the shared border region have detrimental effects on other areas of cooperation between the two powers. However, global climate cooperation is certain to fail if Beijing and New Delhi do not cooperate. According to the authors, given the urgency of the climate crisis, the need to cooperate in matters of climate change requires partnerships even among states that in other contexts are competitors or rivals, such as China and India. They conclude that this simultaneity of cooperation and competition is one of the key features of the emerging multipolar order and should take centre stage in both policy and academic research.
WRITTEN BY TAYLAH BLAND — SCHWARZMAN FELLOW, ASIA SOCIETY POLICY INSTITUTE, CENTRE FOR CHINA ANALYSIS
In this piece, Taylah Bland makes the case for Sino-American climate cooperation. Rather than relying on their own domestic climate efforts, the author maintains that Beijing and Washington must work together to advance the international climate agenda. This should include cooperation on a loss and damage fund, to which both countries should contribute monetarily. The author concludes that we will only see the international community more inclined to take the next step in fighting climate change when the two largest emitters jointly take ownership; if the world’s two rivalling superpowers can cooperate on climate change, the rest of the world has no excuse but to join in the effort.
DISCLAIMER: All views expressed are those of the writers and do not necessarily represent that of the 9DASHLINE.com platform.
Image credit: Unsplash/Dibakar Roy.