How global warming brings Indian Ocean Region together
Strategic contestation has always been the history and destiny of the countries of the Indian Ocean Region (IOR). Three of the world’s seven critical bottlenecks for global oil supply lie in this region. The Indian Ocean Region has always been alive with conflict from its touchpoints in the Gulf to the friction in South-and-Southeast Asia, in Yemen, and off the coast of Somalia, there is no dearth of flashpoints in the region. This has been the strategic playground of America and France, the Soviet Union, and of course India, after all, it is the Indian Ocean. The latest player in these waters, thereby having in a sense muddied them geo-strategically, is China. But the Indian Ocean Region does more than worry about nuclear-tipped submarines and naval bases in its midst these days. It has a bigger concern — global warming. In August 2021, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change said that the Indian Ocean was warming faster than other oceanic bodies in the world. This has severe repercussions for one-third of the world’s population which resides in and around the Indian Ocean. Already cyclonic storms and flooding are becoming more common in coastal areas like India’s Chennai and Goa, and parts of Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka, and other island nations of the region. A recent report by a team of Indian climatic scientists noted that the intensity of cyclonic storms hitting the country from the north Indian Ocean region had been increasing consistently over the last four decades due to global warming. Global warming is also forcing many of the Gulf nations to completely rethink their fuel strategy — climatic heat is increasingly making parts of the Gulf region difficult for people to live in, and the rising oceans impact the shoreline habitations of these countries. In the Bay of Bengal, Bangladesh, and the Indian state of West Bengal, could only relatively protect themselves against the super cyclone Amphan in the summer of 2020 because of the presence of vast mangroves, said experts at the latest edition of the Indian Ocean Conference organised by the India Foundation, which I attended at Abu Dhabi. These mangroves are fast depleting and soon may not be able to provide adequate protection. The super cyclones and tornadoes are here to stay.
India targets net-zero carbon emissions by 2070, says Modi
India’s economy will become carbon neutral by the year 2070, the country’s prime minster has announced at the COP26 climate crisis summit in Glasgow. The target date is two decades beyond what scientists say is needed to avert catastrophic climate impacts. India is the last of the world’s major carbon polluters to announce a net-zero target, with China saying it would reach that goal in 2060, and the United States and the European Union aiming for 2050.
COP26: What climate summit means for one woman in Bangladesh
China's carbon emissions are vast and growing, dwarfing those of other countries. Experts agree that without big reductions in China's emissions, the world cannot win the fight against climate change. In 2020, China's President Xi Jinping said his country would aim for its emissions to reach their highest point before 2030 and for carbon neutrality before 2060. His statement has now been confirmed as China's official position ahead of the COP26 global climate summit in Glasgow. But China has not said exactly how these goals will be achieved.
Why China's climate policy matters to us all
China's carbon emissions are vast and growing, dwarfing those of other countries. Experts agree that without big reductions in China's emissions, the world cannot win the fight against climate change. In 2020, China's President Xi Jinping said his country would aim for its emissions to reach their highest point before 2030 and for carbon neutrality before 2060. His statement has now been confirmed as China's official position ahead of the COP26 global climate summit in Glasgow. But China has not said exactly how these goals will be achieved.
Deliver on promises, developing world tells rich at climate talks
A crucial U.N. conference heard calls on its first day for the world's major economies to keep their promises of financial help to address the climate crisis, while big polluters India and Brazil made new commitments to cut emissions. World leaders, environmental experts and activists all pleaded for decisive action to halt the global warming which threatens the future of the planet at the start of the two-week COP26 summit in the Scottish city of Glasgow on Monday. The task facing negotiators was made even more daunting by the failure of the Group of 20 major industrial nations to agree ambitious new commitments at the weekend.