Climate Change and International Cooperation: Rising Concerns

International cooperation is essential to combat climate change because its effects are felt globally. Owing to constant burning of fossil fuels, earth’s average temperatures have gone up to a significant level resulting in changes in rainfall patterns, the disappearance of glaciers, droughts, a rise in sea levels, the loss of islands and coastal wetlands, as well as increased flooding. Climate change has resulted in political instability, migration crises, intrastate warfare etc. The moot point is that the atmosphere, oceans, and ecosystems are closely interconnected and therefore efforts to combat climate change must be coordinated at all levels.
However, international cooperation has so far obtained modest results, as global temperatures and fossil fuel emissions continue to rise globally despite years of negotiations aimed at reducing greenhouse gases. A recent study suggests that pledge and review mechanisms contained in the Paris Agreement have small effects on actual contributions towards emission reduction targets.
Realist theoretical framework, at least partially, explains why cooperation efforts by the sovereign states have so far largely failed. Because of the enduring anarchical nature of the international system, states will only abide by international norms to the extent such norms do not pose a security threat or risk leaving them in a relative disadvantage vis-à-vis its competitors.
The developing countries have argued that developed nations have reaped the lion’s share of the benefits of CO2 emissions since the industrial revolution and should now bear the brunt of expenses related to curtailing emissions. Therefore, without some form of compensation or disproportionate reduction targets they are unlikely to join hands with the developed world. This apart, domestic issues have a direct bearing on a country’s decision to collaborate on climate change strategies.
In the above stated backdrop, the proposed panel aims to focus on the rising challenges to address the cause of global climate change with special emphasis on the issues affecting the world, following explanatory research methodology.