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CLIMATE AND COOPERATION CRISIS IN SOUTH ASIA

CLIMATE AND COOPERATION CRISIS IN SOUTH ASIA

South Asian is a geographical as well as ethno-cultural entity consists of the countries of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.The mighty Himalayas in the North and the vast Indian Ocean in the South. The Arabian Sea to its West and the Bay of Bengal in East provide a natural insularity to the region covering climatic zones as diverse as its physical landscape. Abnormal monsoon patterns induced by climate change has impacted South Asia in recent years including events like glacial lake outburst, forest fires, mountain and coastal soil erosion and most recently flooding (Pakistan) presenting opportunities for cooperation among South Asian nations.

Reasons for the Climate Crisis in South Asia

• Rise in Temperature: The Indian Ocean has seen an increase in sea surface temperatures (SST) of approximately 1° C (global average 0.7° C) in recent decades, a warmer atmosphere can hold more water vapour which has increased humidity and higher rainfall in South Asia.

• Heat Waves: A prolonged and deadly heatwave has hit large swaths of India and Pakistan affecting hundreds of millions of people and sparking the glacial melting and glacial lake outburst events with food and energy shortage.

• Jet Stream Meandering: Jet streams are like rivers of wind high above in the atmosphere. These slim strips of strong winds have a huge influence on climate, as they can push air masses around and affect weather patterns.

Climate Crisis is Impacting South Asian Countries

• India: Temperature rises on the Tibetan Plateau are causing Himalayan glaciers to retreat, threatening the flow rate of the Ganges, Brahmaputra, Yamuna and other major rivers. Heat waves' frequency is increasing in India because of climate change. Severe landslides and floods are projected to become increasingly common in such states as Assam.

• Afghanistan: Since 1950, temperatures in Afghanistan have risen by 1.8°C. This leads and will lead to massive droughts. As a result of these increased droughts due to global warming, Afghanistan might face desertification and land degradation in the upcoming future.

• Bangladesh: Bangladesh's vulnerability to climate change impacts is due to a combination of geographical factors, such as its flat, low-lying, and delta-exposed topography and socio-economic factors, including its high population density.

• Nepal: Climate change is causing greater variations in weather patterns and more extreme weather events in Nepal, like the drought that contributed to the exceptional number of wildfires that raged across Nepal during 2016's pre-monsoon season.

• Maldives: Many low-lying islands in the Maldives are threatened by sea level rise, with some predictions suggesting the nation will become uninhabitable in the upcoming years if proper measures are not taken into account.

Solutions for Climate Crisis

• Optimum Utilisation of Resources: Himalayan countries of Afghanistan, Bhutan, India, Nepal, and Pakistan have large, unutilised hydropower resources. Collaboration on technologies and finances, and the development of a common South Asian power market can lead to increased energy security while reducing power costs and greenhouse gas emission.

• Leading from the Front Opportunity for India: India has the opportunity to act as the Voice of South Asia in global forums as well as provide timely humanitarian assistance to its neighbours as part of its Neighbourhood First policy.

• Learning from One Another: Along with collective focus on innovation, technology transfer, knowledge exchange, and capacity building. There are existing initiatives that have lessons for all countries of South Asia to tackle climate change and grow as a unit.

• Creation of South Asia Association for Regional Cooperation Climate Fund: A South Asia Association for Regional Cooperation Climate Fund can be established by South Asian countries to help with adaptation and mitigation measures especially in disaster-prone areas.