Current Issues in Climate Change

The problems caused by climate change have been recognised as one of the greatest concern of this century. The subject is futuristic, relevant and multi-disciplinary with many stakeholders. The matter encompasses not only the health of the planet itself, but also that of nations and individuals. This paper attempts to consolidate the issues under debate and discussion and provides explanations for some such as: the slow response for its mitigation; the UN and the discourse in the UNSC; its implications for science, economics, energy, politics, military implications; the militarisation of the Arctic; and, India’s principled position on the common but differentiated responsibility and equity. The paper argues for revisiting and boosting public diplomacy and strategic communications to garner greater public support.

About the Author

The author is with the IDSA since 2005. He has been researching on non traditional security, Tibet, military issues and Kautilya’s Arthasastra. He was the working group secretary and the workshop convener of the IDSA working group on security implications of climate change for India in 2008/9. He authored Environmental Security: New Challenges and Role of Military (2010). Since 2012 he has initiated research on indigenous historical knowledge with a focus on Kautilya’s Arthasastra. He has contributed and is involved with a number of working group and task force reports at the IDSA. He has authored a number of articles, occasional papers, issue and policy briefs, edited chapters and single author monographs and books. The latest being IDSA monograph One Hundred Years of Kautilya’s Arthasastra (July2013).

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