The Influence of Climate Change on Global Politics

Introduction

Climate change has been a global concern for many years. Not only does it severely impact the environment, but also the political sector. The effects call for effective conservation practices. Climate change impacts diplomatic relations by reshaping international affairs through new environmental affiliations, integrating environmental agendas into foreign policy systems, and creating global dependencies for economic cooperation and financial assistance.

Shifts in International Relations

Firstly, climate change has seen nations shift in international relations by creating new alliances and partnerships based on common environmental goals. For instance, the Paris Agreement of May 1992 saw world governments show concern about the accumulation of greenhouse gases for the first time, forming an international agreement maintained by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and dealing with the problem (Matemilola et al., 2020, p. 1). The UNFCCC aimed to lower greenhouse gases worldwide, lessen the effects of climate change on all global nations, and set the foundation for other international treaty responses, like the Kyoto Protocol and the more recent Paris Agreement of 2015. Such treaties, in concept, stand for an epoch-making change in international relations as the environment takes the central place in the diplomacy and cooperation process. Thus, accords, such as the UNFCCC, the 2015 Paris Agreement, and the Kyoto Protocol, are perfect indicators of changes in how nations relate based on environmental change.

Rise of Environmental Diplomacy

Secondly, most governments base their foreign policy agendas on climate issues, with the European Union (EU) being at the forefront of promoting green dogmas. For example, countries, such as Sweden, France, the United Kingdom, New Zealand, and Costa Rica, passed laws agreeing to reach climate neutrality by 2050 or earlier, following the Paris Agreement, with the EU setting determined climate and energy goals (Salvia et al., 2021, p. 2). In this case, these countries’ ambitious goals in achieving climate neutrality have a ripple effect on international climate policies by pressuring other nations to adopt similar goals, significantly influencing global expectations. In addition, the EU compels trading partners to agree with high environmental standards, indicating its leadership in environmental diplomacy. Therefore, climate change is rapidly becoming a dominant theme in foreign strategies and international relations since nations can now see how global ecological health and political stability correlate.

Economic Impacts on Nations

Climate change comes with disasters that influence world politics since countries incur huge costs trying to shift to green economies. Research on the economic impact of natural disasters proved that some direct adverse effects include property losses in industrialized countries and fatalities in third-world countries, where the developed countries suffer less when compared to the developing ones (Botzen et al., 2019, p. 181). The less developed countries need to seek technological and financial assistance from the developed ones through grants and debts to fund policies aimed at activities that reduce climate change and take care of the disasters caused by the change. This economic interdependence has led to increased political negotiations and aid agreements, highlighting the need for collaborative solutions in addressing climate change. Hence, climate change pulls countries into political and economic cooperation since there is an urgent and vital necessity to cater for the losses it causes.

Conclusion

Climate change impacts global politics by restructuring international relations, encouraging environmental diplomacy, and creating economic bonds. The reorganization of global relations is achieved through new partnerships based on climatic change. Furthermore, ecological diplomacy is encouraged by basing foreign agendas on climatic matters. Finally, economic bonds form through the dependency of developing countries on developed ones for financial needs to cater to climatic disasters. Thus, it is evident that climate change increasingly shapes global political dynamics.

References

Botzen, W. J. W., Deschenes, O., & Sanders, M. (2019). The economic impacts of natural disasters: A review of models and empirical studies. Review of Environmental Economics and Policy, 13(2), 167–188. https://doi.org/10.1093/reep/rez004

Matemilola, S., Fadeyi, O., & Sijuade, T. (2020). Paris agreement. Encyclopedia of Sustainable Management, 2020(1), 1–5. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-02006-4_516-1

Salvia, M., Reckien, D., Pietrapertosa, F., & Eckersley, P. (2021). Will climate mitigation ambitions lead to carbon neutrality? An analysis of the local-level plans of 327 cities in the EU. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 135, 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2020.110253