Editorial: Race against time

The ongoing global efforts to tackle the climate crisis reveals that the outcomes have been far from satisfactory

The new year is bound to throw up challenges that are more serious than ever before on the climate change front. A closer look at the ongoing global efforts to tackle the climate crisis reveals that the outcomes have been far from satisfactory. In fact, experts have been warning that the situation could deteriorate further and the time is fast running out for the international community to protect the planet from the catastrophic impact of the man-made crisis. Eight years ago, at the Paris Climate Summit — Conference of Parties (COP) 21— the countries had agreed to strive to limit the global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. The increasing frequency of extreme weather events across the world should convince us that we are nowhere near the target. In 2023, the world came perilously close to this threshold, as global temperatures rose on average by 1.46 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. In fact, a few days in November last were even warmer than 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. The World Meteorological Organisation’s Global Climate Report says that 2023 was the warmest year on record and the planet will get hotter this year. There is a huge disparity among countries in terms of their greenhouse gas emissions. To meet climate goals, the United States must exceed its current commitment to halve emissions by 2030 and achieve net zero by 2050.

India, Brazil and Indonesia, accounting for 19% of the global emissions, face unique challenges. Considering their relatively modest historical contributions to global warming, expecting them to abruptly cut fossil fuel usage is unfair. The same applies to African countries, which contribute 8.7% to emissions. A more effective strategy could be to have prosperous countries set ambitious targets and influence others to follow suit. India has played a significant role in shaping the discourse at the climate change summits by emphasising equity, climate justice and energy access. India’s domestic goals are in line with its self-imposed 2070 deadline for reaching net-zero emissions. However, challenges persist in aligning policy with sustainable development. Typically, negotiations at the climate summits highlight how difficult it is to achieve a balance between national priorities and climate requirements, especially when one is not the primary culprit but a disproportionate victim of this global crisis. India has been positioning itself as the voice of the global south, articulating the concerns of the developing world. During his opening speech at the recent Dubai summit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi highlighted how a small section of mankind has exploited nature indiscriminately but the whole of humanity is paying the price. At COP26 in Glasgow, India was instrumental in changing the focus of the declaration from ‘phase-out’ to ‘phase-down’ our dependence on coal. It argued that a complete stop to coal could significantly hinder the country’s development — a stance many developing nations echoed.