A landmark ruling by the International Court of Justice has highlighted the need for renegotiation of the terms & conditions in the global fight against climate change.
Despite the advisory nature of the ruling it marks a monumental moment-a moment of vindication for the countries of the global south who have had to bear the brunt of the ill conceived growth model of the western countries, it highlights how issues like climate change which were considered the countries of the global north as a part of the discourse of ‘low politics’ can quickly come back to haunt them.
This matter, therefore, needs further understanding.
Western Model of Growth
The growth model followed by the west for the last two centuries was underpinned the ideals of the Enlightenment period (17th-18th centuries). The Enlightenment period was an epoch of social, cultural, economic and political changes in the Euro-Atlantic region that had profound implications for the whole of humanity. This period was marked by a precipitous decline in the influence of religion and religious institutions in all aspects of the life of European society.
This period prioritized the ideas of reason, empiricism, rationalism and the celebration of Homo sapiens as a species. It is in that context that the idea of anthropomorphism emerged. According to this idea, human beings are the center of universe and everything exists to fulfill human needs. It further seeks to interpret non-human things and events from a humanistic lens.
It was at that moment that the fundamental social contract that existed between nature and humans underwent a profound change. Nature was no longer respected; she was regarded as a means to an end-the end being the development and progress of humanity. Nature was seen from the prism of economics-it would be a commodity to be used for fulfilling human purpose.
The obvious manifestation of this was the Industrial Revolution that began in the 18th century and spread in various parts of the continents of Europe and North America over the years.
The result-while humanity progressed and civilization grew, nature’s delicate fabric began to unravel. The Earth slowly began heating up and over 150 years down the line, we are faced with floods, wildfires, tsunamis, tropical storms across the world are wreaking havoc with an increasingly alarming frequency.
The global sea levels across the world are rising at an alarming rate due to the melting of the glaciers and snow caps off mountains thanks to the gradual rise in temperature all over the world.
For the west, what mattered was economic development, and for that nature had to be tamed at all costs, to serve humankind’s needs.
The Big Brother is the Big Problem
The Big brother in this context is being referred to America-the world’s largest emitter of greenhouse gases. While it benefitted tremendously over the past century and half by burning fossil fuels for fueling economic development, it has essentially turned its back on tackling the issue of climate change.
The mercurial administration of President Donald Trump has demonstrated very clearly. Not only has he upended the climate change initiatives and programs of his predecessor, but has restarted fossil fuel production such as oil and natural gas drilling at an alarmingly fast pace with the egregious slogan, “Drill, Baby, Drill”.
Under Trump, USA has exited the Paris Climate Accord, in doing so; the United States has crippled the global climate financing process and has betrayed a global consensus on tackling an issue that affects the whole of humanity. Further, he has actively chosen to undermine important environmental treaties like the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Seas (UNCLOS) by granting permit for deep sea mining in both domestic and international waters.
By reneging on its commitment in the fight against climate change, America has once again demonstrated that its big brother attitude is only meant to ensure the aggrandizement of its own interests rather than commit itself to the good of humanity.
Global South to Seek Justice
In the advisory ruling, the ICJ highlighted that key climate change mitigation principles like Common but Differentiated Responsibility & Respective Capabilities (CBDR-RC) continue to function. This means that the developed countries bear more responsibility in mitigating the impact of climate change, while others can contribute subject to their economic capacity and developmental imperatives. In that context, it becomes very clear that the global south now will demand justice; this justice would manifest itself in a multiplicity of forms.
In such a situation, India is well placed to spearhead this initiative. Being one of the countries that has one of the world’s lowest per capita emission intensity, India has an impressive track record in balancing developmental priorities as well as conservation of nature.
India has achieved of producing 50% of its installed electricity from non-fossil fuel based sources five years ahead of target. India’s combined installed renewable energy reserves is one of the largest in the world.
India, therefore, is in a good spot in demanding compensation for the years of climate violation policies by the west. This should be in demanding the compulsory financing of $100 billion in mitigating climate change and demand transfer of technology from the global north to the global south so as to enhance the resilience of the latter in the fight against climate change.
This becomes the very basis for the countries of the global south to set the ball rolling in the creation of the New International Economic Order (NIEO).
The global south deserves better, it deserves equity, justice and substantive outcome. The ruling of the ICJ is the first step. India, therefore, must show them the way forward in order to fulfill the goal of “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam” or the world is one family.
Pranay Kumar Shome, a research analyst who is a PhD candidate at Mahatma Gandhi Central University, Bihar, India
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