Abstract
Climate change is becoming prominent in mainstream politics. Liberal governments have generally learnt into the narratives of climate action, claiming it as a priority, while consistently failing to make significant progress towards just transition, adaptation, and associated economic transformations. Eco-fascism is said to be looking, but actually existing far-right. Governments have tended towards a more steadfast solidarity with fossil capital. They have not demonstrated a willingness to break with capitalist economies which produce the climate crisis. Within liberal democracies, left-wing and socialist parties have demonstrated the strongest commitment to programs of economic transformation, most commensurate with the scale and nature of the climate crisis. Whether Bernie Sanders’ Presidential campaign in the US, Jeremy Corbyn’s election campaigns as leader of the UK Labour Party, or Jean-Luc Mélenchon’s campaign for President with La France Insoumise, these climate justice socialists have rarely taken state power. While China’s geopolitical rise may pose a challenge to the US’ geopolitical hegemony, possibly even including its brand of capitalism, there is little evidence that China’s rise will be any better for the climate in the coming decades. At the same time as investing in renewable technologies at home, China is financing new coal power and mines across Asia and Africa. Where other political formations have neglected climate change, Green parties around the world have sought to establish themselves as the electoral vehicles for environmentalism. Like their ideological orientation, their success has been inconsistent. Lacking strong ideological commitments, Greens have often allied with neoliberal or even far-right governments in exchange for proximity to state power.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2007/apr/18/greenpolitics.climatechange
Agenda 21 (2002). https://www.un.org/esa/dsd/agenda21/. Accessed 17 Oct
BBC News (2017) Paris climate deal: Trump announces US will withdraw, Archived from the original on June 1, 2017
Baylis J et al (2017) The globalization of world politics. Oxford University Press, UK, p 328
Bazilian M, Gielen D (2020) Down to earth. 10 Dec 2020
Bhat A, Agrawal G (2021) https://scroll.in/article/981572/electric-vehicles-could-help-fight-indias-pollution-crisis-but-the-lack-of-bank-loans-is-a-hurdle. Accessed 7 Jan 2021
Bresser LC (2009). Pereira in assault on the state and on the market: neoliberalism and economic theory. Estudos Avancados 23(66)
CCPI (2021) www.ccpi.org
Chakraborty B (2017) Paris Agreement on climate change: US withdraws as Trump calls it ‘unfair'. Fox News. (July 31, 2017)
Climate action tracker. https://climateactiontracker.org/countries/china/
Climate Change in World Politics (2016) Palgrave, UK, p 24
Daoudy M (2020) The origins of the Syrian conflict. Cambridge University Press, UK, p xi
Dawn (2011). Pakistan largest CNG User, 2nd June 2011
Denchak M (2018) Paris climate agreement: everything you need to know. http://www.nrdc.org/stories/paris-climate-agreement-everything-you-need-know
Dettmer J (2019). Politics of climate change got more complicated in 2019. Voice of America
Dorling D (2013) Population 10 Billion (London: Constable). As cited in (Ed.) John Vogler
Ehrlich PR (1968) The population bomb. Sierra Club/Ballantine Books, New York
European Commission (2020). https://ec.europa.eu/clima/policies/strategies/progress_en. Accessed Jan 2020
GEF (2001) Implementing the UNFCCC, GEF, Washington
Gardiner B (2017) China's surprising solutions to clear killer air. National Geographic
Giddens A (2009) The politics of climate change. Polity Press, pp 185–186
Guha R (2010). The environmental challenge. The Telegraph
Haas PM, Hired JA (2013) Controversies in globalization. Sage Publications, USA, p 279
Hindustan Times (2018) Delhi world’s most polluted city, Mumbai worse than Beijing: WHO, 2nd May 2018
Hindustan Times (2020) Electric vehicle sales reach 280,000 units in India till November 2019, 3rd February 2020
Human Development Report (2013) The rise of the south: human progress in a diverse world. UNDP
IPCC (1995) Climate change 1995: a report of the intergovernmental panel on climate change. Cambridge University Press, New York
IPCC (2001) Working group II, climate change 2001: impacts, adaptation and vulnerability, contribution of working group II to the third assessment report of the IPCC. Cambridge University Press, New York
Irwin R (2008a) Heidegger politics and climate change-risking it all. Continuum, London, p 3
Irwin R (2008b) Heidegger politics and climate change-risking it all. Continuum, London, p 9
JP (2018). How China cut its air pollution. The Economist, Beijing
Khan MI, Yasmin T (2014) Development of natural gas as a vehicular fuel in Pakistan: issues and prospects. J Natl Gas Sci Eng 17:99–109
Maikasuwa SA (2013) Climate change and developing countries: issues and policy implication. J Res Dev 1(2):19–20
McGrath M (2020). Climate change: China aims for ‘carbon neutrality by 2060’. https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-54256826. Accessed Nov 2020
Off target Ranking of EU countries’ ambition and progress in fighting climate change (June 2018) Climate Action Network Europe Belgium Brussels, p. 4
O’Brien R, Williams M (2007) Global political economy: evolution and dynamics. Palgrave Macmillan, New York, p 346
O’Neil BC (2009) Climate change and population growth’. In: Mazur L (ed) A pivotal moment: population, justice and the environmental challenge. Island Press, Washington, DC
PIB, NEMMP (2020) https://pib.gov.in/newsite/PrintRelease.aspx?relid=191337. Accessed 20 Dec 2020
Paris Agreement-status of ratification UNFCCC (2020). https://unfccc.int/process/the-paris-agreement/status-of-ratification. Accessed 10 Jun 2020
Peoples voice (2015) http://peoplesvoice.in/2015/08/05/india-needs-pro-people-national-land-and-agriculture-policy/
Pew Research (2016). https://www.pewresearch.org/science/2016/10/04/the-politics-of-climate/. Accessed 10 June 2017
Planning Department, Economic Survey of India, 1999–2000
Pramanick SK, Ganguly R (2010) Globalization in India: new frontiers and emerging challenges. Prentice Hall of India, New Delhi, pp 219–243
Raza HA (2005) Development. of CNG industry in Pakistan. Hydrocarbon Development Institute of Pakistan
Rosenau JN (2005). Ozone depletion and climate change, SUNY series in global politics. State University of New York Press, New York, p 21
Salam FA (2018) Why can't India's agricultural sector keep up with the rest of its economy? https://www.trtworld.com/opinion/why-can-t-india-s-agricultural-sector-keep-up-with-the-rest-of-its-economy-16294.
Sen R (2020) Climate change and agriculture: way ahead of low emission growth. Down to earth
Siddiqui K (2010) Globalisation and neo-liberal economic reforms in India: a critical review. Prentice Hall of India, New Delhi. pp 219–243
Simon DW et al (2019) The challenge of politics. Sage Publications, USA
Soni P (2020). Why India needs to see climate change as political issue. Down to Earth. https://www.downtoearth.org.in/blog/climate-change/why-india-needs-to-see-climate-change-as-urgent-political-issue-69783
Stern N (2008) The economics of climate change. University of Cambridge Press, Cambridge. http://www.hmtreasury.gov.uk/independent_reviews/stern_review_economics_climate_change/stern_review_report.cfm. Accessed 24 Jun 2008
The Economic Times (2020a) Aug 25
The Economic Times (2020b) June 20
The Economist (2008) A ravenous dragon, 15 March, pp 17–18
The Hindu (2020a) Nov 12
The Hindu (2020b) India’s EV sector to offer $206 bn opportunity by 2030: study, 8 Dec 2020
UN Press release (2007) http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2007/sc9000.doc.htm
UN Press release (2011) http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2011/sc10332.doc.htm
UN Report. https://www.un.org/en/sections/issues-depth/climate-change/. Accessed 18 Dec 2020
UN on Climate Change. https://www.un.org/en/sections/issues-depth/climate-change/. Accessed 18 Dec 2020
Wilkin P (2001) The political economy of global communication, an introduction. Pluto Press, London, p 17
Winkler H (2005) Climate change and developing countries. S Afr J Sci 356–357
Wolf M (2006) What India must do to outpace China. Financial Times. London, 14th February 2006
Yousuf M (2020) Environmental problems of Delhi and governmental concern, in global issues and innovative solutions in healthcare, culture and the environment, IGI Global (USA), p 160
Zhang Z, Maruyama A (2001) Towards a private-public synergy in financing climate change mitigation projects. Energy Policy, p 29
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2022 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Bhat, M.Y. (2022). Climate Change and Politics. In: Bandh, S.A. (eds) Climate Change. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-86290-9_18
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-86290-9_18
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-030-86289-3
Online ISBN: 978-3-030-86290-9
eBook Packages: Earth and Environmental ScienceEarth and Environmental Science (R0)