TWN Info Service on Climate Change (Dec21/01)
16 December 2021
Third World Network

India, Russia vote against linking climate change with security issues at UN Security Council

16 Dec, Delhi (Indrajit Bose) — On 13 December, India voted against a UN Security Council draft resolution that linked climate change with global security challenges, saying that when it comes to climate action and climate justice, the UN Security Council (UNSC) is not the place to discuss either issue.

According to reports, the draft resolution at the UNSC was spearheaded by Ireland and Niger, and stated that the adverse effects of climate change can “lead…to social tensions…, exacerbating, prolonging, or contributing to the risk of future conflicts and instability and posing a key risk to global peace, security, and stability”.

The draft asked the UN Secretary-General (SG) to submit to the UNSC within two years a report “on the security implications of the adverse effects of climate change in relevant country or region-specific contexts on the Council’s agenda as well as recommendations on how climate-related security risks can be addressed”. In addition, it requested the SG to include information on the security implications of climate change and recommendations to address it in his regular mission and thematic reporting to the UNSC. The draft resolution further asked the SG to “integrate climate-related security risk as a central component into comprehensive conflict-prevention strategies”.

Apart from India, Russia too exercised its veto against the resolution, stating that the draft resolution represented a step back in trying to fight climate change.

China however, abstained from the vote and reportedly said that the draft resolution did not address important issues such as common but differentiated responsibility and the responsibility of developed countries to help build capacity and resilience in developing countries, adding further that the draft resolution could allow developed countries new excuses to shirk their historical responsibilities and commitments. (See further details below).

In a statement made available to TWN, Indian permanent representative to the UN TS Tirumurti said that attempts to bring climate change issues in the UNSC appear to be “motivated by a desire to evade responsibility in the appropriate forum and divert the world’s attention from an unwillingness to deliver where it counts.”

India expressed concern on the manner in which the issue had been brought before the Council and elaborated that “Over the last nearly three decades, all member states have negotiated collectively and with consensus an elaborate and equitable architecture to combat every aspect of climate change. While arriving at far-reaching consensual decisions, we have tried to accommodate each other’s interests and specific national circumstances. This comprehensive process has, in fact, been done under the UN-led UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) with participation of all member states. The UNFCCC has been, in turn, informed by members’ priorities.  It addresses both the immediate needs of the developing and the commitments of the developed. It seeks a balance between mitigation, adaptation, financing, technology transfer, capacity building, etc.  In effect, it takes a holistic view of combatting climate change which is equitable and fair.”

It also raised important questions in this regard. “We, therefore, need to ask ourselves what is it that we can collectively do under this resolution which we cannot achieve under the UNFCCC process?  Why is it that one needs a UNSC resolution to take action on climate change when we have commitment made under UNFCCC towards concrete climate action?  The honest answer is that there is no real requirement for this resolution, except for the purpose of bringing climate change under the ambit of the UNSC.  And the reason for that is now decisions can then be taken without involvement of most developing countries and without recognizing consensus.  And all this can be done in the name of preserving international peace and security,” said India.

“So, let us be clear about the issues today.  Climate change decisions are sought to be taken out of the wider international community represented in the UNFCCC and given instead to the UNSC.  Ironically, many of the UNSC members are the main contributors of climate change due to historical emissions.  If the Security Council indeed takes over the responsibility on this issue, a few states will then have a free-hand in deciding on all climate-related issues. This is clearly neither desirable nor acceptable,” emphasized India.

India also said that the “draft UNSC Resolution attempts to undermine the hard-won consensus which we reached in Glasgow.  This draft resolution would only sow the seeds of discord among the larger UN membership. It sends a wrong message to the developing countries that instead of addressing their concerns and holding developed countries responsible for meeting their commitments under the UNFCCC, we are willing to be divided and side-tracked under the guise of security. This draft resolution is a step backward from our collective resolve to combat climate change.  It seeks to hand over that responsibility to a body which neither works through consensus nor is reflective of the interests of the developing countries. India had no option but to vote against,” said India.

 

India also reiterated that while it “may be moving forward on the subject of climate change with great courage and high ambition”, it “also understands the challenges of fellow developing countries, shares them fully, and will continue to voice their concerns and expectations. The international community, particularly the developing and least developed countries and SIDS (Small-island Developing States) have striven for the last two decades under the UNFCCC process to make “common but differentiated responsibilities” a basic principle for global climate action.  This is at the heart of climate justice.”

India underscored the importance of affordable access to climate finance and technologies to move forward decisively on the issue. “Developed countries must provide climate finance of $1 trillion at the earliest. It is necessary that climate finance be tracked with the same diligence as climate mitigation,” said India, adding that the reality is that the developed countries “have fallen well short of their promises.  This is particularly important to recognize because today’s attempt to link climate with security really seeks to obfuscate lack of progress on critical issues under the UNFCCC process”.

India concluded stating that “there should be no confusion about our determination to combat climate change.  We will always support real climate action and serious climate justice.  We will always speak up for the interests of the developing world.  And we will do so at the right place – the UNFCCC.”

The UN meetings coverage report released by the UN quotes the Russian Federation as follows: “Addressing the right of veto, he (Vassily A Nebenzia) said the international community is deeply divided on climate, as was clear in Glasgow at COP26.  The draft resolution represented a step back in trying to fight climate change and only the negative vote stopped it — the best indication that the veto is a key piece of insurance for Council work.  It is even clearer that domination of the Council by Western countries, attempting to evade responsibility for their actions, is an anachronism. Therefore, he called for a strengthened presence of Africa, Asia and Latin America.”

China’s intervention as reported by the UN meetings coverage states: “Zhang Jun, noting that his delegation abstained, said that, while climate change has the potential to impact peace and security, the nexus between the two is complex. Compared with the ‘micro-concept’ of climate change, factors such as environmental degradation, food shortages and unfair distribution of resources are most likely to lead to tension and conflict.  China will not avoid serious discussion in this area, he said, but stressed the need to avoid securitization of climate issues. The most important step to deal with climate change is to significantly reduce greenhouse‑gas emissions until net-zero emission is achieved. Common but differentiated responsibility is also an unshakeable cornerstone of the global response.  In that regard, developed countries have a responsibility to help build capacity and resilience in developing countries.  Today’s resolution did not address any of these important issues.  Instead, it could allow developed countries new excuses to shirk their historical responsibilities and commitments. Recalling that the Council has already dealt with climate issues under a number of country‑specific issues on its agenda, he suggested that the organ continue on this path and address climate issues from the perspective of peace and security through targeted responses.”

(The UNSC has a total of fifteen members, five who are permanent and ten who are non-permanent. China, France, the United Kingdom, the United States and Russia are the five permanent members, while India, Ireland and Niger are among the current non-permanent members).