The 20th Conference of Parties (COP) to the UN-sponsored Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) will be held from 1 to 12 December in Lima, Peru. Since the US-China bilateral climate deal on the sideline of Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) early this month, the world has eerily been watching India's 'breaking news' short of indication of targeted greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction. Between APEC and COP 20 (Lima), the 18th SAARC summit (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation:26-27 November) in Nepal provides a breathing space for India.
India’s announcement on voluntary reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions has accelerated otherwise snail-paced negotiation on a deal to be reached in Copenhagen this December. It is a welcome step but a tactical move. From the solitude of obstructing, as many argue, to all-inclusive Copenhagen, India has sent a signal of relief to the climate negotiators, mostly representatives of developed countries. If the world sees this Indian move as a surprise, they are wrong.
Indians are, by nature, emotive. Unfortunately, they believe in overreacting. So, be it 26/11, Swine flu, or a draught-like situation: mostly, they react excessively. They cannot even take a loss by a cricket team sportingly, so naturally, they are bound to start the blame game when drought is at the doorstep. What better punching bag could be than the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD)? Few intellectuals are even asking for its closure.
For the Indian climate crusaders, 2007 has become more important for three reasons. First, the entry of climate change as an agenda item to the United Nations Security Council on April 18. Now, the Nobel Peace Prize to the scientific community - Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and former US Vice-President Al Gore for making people aware of climate change. It’s argued that the issue would become everybody’s business to know, manage and resolve after the prestigious award.
All over the world, environmentalists and green activists are jubilant. Even the renowned international environmental organization Greenpeace is thrilled for its nomenclature when climate change has officially ‘securitized’ in the United Nations. But, traditional war theorists or security experts have kept an eerie silence over the historical development of the re-emergence of the ‘environmental security’ concept. Beyond its tradition, on April 17, the UN Security Council (UNSC) debated the impacts of climate change and its linkages to international security for the first time in history.