Publish Date: 2024-04-01 16:40:30
We are delighted to be hosting two scholars from the Centre for Social and Economic Progress (CSEP), Constantino Xavier and Pooja Ramamurthi, who will be discussing their new study on India's climate diplomacy. The details of the talk are given below.
Abstract:
As it becomes a growing economic power in an interdependent global landscape, can India finally realise its long-held ambition of being a bridging power between industrialised, high-income economies of the Global North and developing countries of the Global South? After its momentous G20 Presidency, what foreign policies can India pursue to shift its ambition from "voice" to "action" to effectively enable the green energy transition of low-and middle-income countries? Based on our ongoing research, the presentation is structured in two parts.
The first part surveys India's evolving climate persona in a fragmenting geopolitical landscape. As India adopts a more proactive role in climate policy we discuss the different tracks, beyond the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Conference of Parties (COP), of India's climate diplomacy. Positioning itself as a climate partner between the Global North and South India's climate partnerships range across four tracks, a) Multilateral Adaptation: Working within the existing regime and institutions; b) Minilateral Innovation: Tailoring climate and geopolitical cooperation; c) Trilateral Bridging: Positioning India as a South-South-North climate hub; and d) Bilateral Issue Linkages: Connecting climate and the economy.
The second part zooms in the third track, focusing on India and triangular climate cooperation (TrC). We discuss a) the model of TrC wherein two or more developing countries implement projects in partnership with a multilateral institution or a developed country; b) how India has made significant strides in domestic climate action through innovative local technological, policy, and financing options; c) how these domestic developmental experiences can foster exchange and transfer of the most appropriate strategies towards a low-carbon transition through shared learning within a horizontal mode of cooperation, particularly in Africa, Asia, and the Indo-Pacific region through a TrC model and d) options for India to spearhead TrC by creating a knowledge hub for countries to come together and match technological needs an implementation mechanisms required to achieve their climate goals.