China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is a prime example of how decarbonisation processes interact with geopolitical dynamics. The successful implementation of the Paris Agreement depends on the emissions trajectories of the BRI partner countries and the infrastructure choices they make today. China’s support to energy, transportation and industrial projects might influence some of these choices, and these investments often underpin the geopolitical aspirations of China and its partners.
Although Nepal’s overall security situation has improved considerably and is stable, important underlying drivers and structural causes of conflict still exist. Climate change accentuates Nepal’s economic and political vulnerabilities. Climate impacts can act as a stressor on existing drivers and structural causes of conflict, adding an additional layer of risk to Nepal’s resilience.
The International Military Council on Climate and Security (IMCCS) has released a new report urging leaders to make climate change a “security priority” in the Indo-Asia Pacific region.
Today’s violent conflicts are proving deadlier and more difficult to resolve than ever before. In addition, there is a growing recognition of the role of climate change in exacerbating conflict risks. In light of these, a new report by UNU-CPR aims to support the UN and its partners in developing climate-sensitive conflict prevention approaches.
On 28 January 2020, the German Federal Foreign Office held a conference in Berlin to mark the launch of the Green Central Asia initiative. Opened by Foreign Minister Heiko Maas and the High Representative of the EU Josep Borrell, it brought together the foreign ministers of the Central Asian states, as well as more than 250 participants to discuss the climate and security challenges facing Central Asia—and how the Green Central Asia initiative can contribute to addressing them.
South Asia is one of the world’s most climate-vulnerable regions. Many countries in the region lack the resources and capacities needed to cope with the worsening impacts of climate change. At the same time, climate change is increasingly interacting with socio-economic, demographic and political factors to exacerbate fragility risks.
For the past four decades, Afghanistan has suffered from the devastating impacts of constant armed conflict. Conflicts have increased Afghanistan’s already high vulnerability to climate change, the impacts of which may, in turn, help to create the conditions for continued violence.
China is rapidly evolving into one of the world’s largest overseas investors and is now increasingly investing in the renewable energy sector. China has also enhanced its development cooperation stance through its ever more ambitious south-south cooperation agendas. As an emerging key international donor, China is at a crossroads and actively shaping its new role in the global development landscape. Could China become a new climate responsible donor?
The so-called Vulnerable Twenty (V20) Group was established in October 2015 with the inaugural meeting of the V20 Ministers of Finance at the Climate Vulnerable Forum in Lima, Peru. The V20 can be considered as an example of the importance of early action in the field of adaptation in order to initiate a transformative change towards resilient societies.
With COP24 drawing near and widespread concern over underachieved climate targets that threaten the IPCC's 1.5º threshold, all eyes are turning to China. Its actions as the world’s biggest greenhouse gas emitter and as a frontrunner in clean energy are highly important for the international community. The added pressure of climate-unfriendly forces emerging in economies such as Brazil, USA and Australia raises questions as to whether China will be able and willing to take up a central role in climate diplomacy. This issue of China Dialogue brings a series of insights on China’s position to help us navigate the country’s approach in the international climate community, from its relationship with coal energy to water privatisation and biodiversity protection.