Climate change will be the defining test of global civilization in the twenty-first century. While climate scientists have been aware of the effect of carbon emissions on average worldwide temperatures for several decades, the trends of heat waves, heavier rain events, higher sea levels and severe damage to agriculture “represent a security risk for the entire world”.

        The UN has been mulling to designate climate change as an international security issue.

The idea of declaring Climate change as International security issue is based on the rationale that the effects of climate change will lead to violence in near future. The conflicts over water, food or energy will become more common and many people will be forced from their homes. The UNSC believes that the move will help heighten public awareness and even help in surmounting opposition. However, India has questioned the rush at the UN to declare climate change an international security issue, potentially giving the Security Council the right to take action on it.

The pitfalls of such a decision include

• Overreach: India has been wary of the Council’s mission creep as it tries to extend its reach beyond what is allocated in the UN Charter by redefining other issues, even as it struggles to fulfil its primary functions. The decisions taken may affect sovereignty of nations.
• Disruption of Global agreements: A “mere decision of the Council” to takeover enforcement of climate change action would disrupt the Paris Agreement and multilateral efforts to find solutions.
• Unitary decision-making: The composition of the UN Security Council does not reflect the contemporary world due to only 5 permanent members with veto power and 10 non-permanent members who get elected to represent their region.
• Opaque decisions: climate justice cannot be served by shifting climate law-making from the inclusive UN Framework Convention for Climate Change (UNFCCC) to decision-making by a structurally unrepresentative institution with an exclusionary approach decided in secretive deliberations.
• Needs Holistic View: The relationship between climate-related risks and conflict is complex and often intersects with political, social, economic and demographic factors.
• Needs humanitarian solutions: The problem of climate change inherently require non-military responses rather than overly militarised or nationalistic solutions to problems.
• Increased unaccountability: Countries which fail to their obligations under the Paris Agreement to cut their emissions or fail to provide obligatory financing for climate change programmes cannot be held accountable for climate change.
• Rights of Refugees: Such a move can dehumanize refugee victims, portraying them as the true threat to the powerful countries to which they are trying to migrate.

Conclusion:

India supports cooperation and action that are consistent with the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities to prevent and address serious disasters linked to climate. The idea of designating climate change effects as security issue needs to deliberated and well-thought out to ensure climate equity and climate justice to all.