The following is an excerpt from Meera Gopal's article in the China-India Brief by the Centre on Asia and Globalisation at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy. Meera is a Senior Program Officer of Climate at the Asia Society Policy Institute. 

China and India represent a unique case within the Global South. Together, they are the largest emitters, contributing more than one-third of the total global carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions (China contributes about 26 percent and India about 7 percent, making them the world’s largest and third-largest emitters, respectively). At the same time, both countries have become increasingly vulnerable to adverse impacts of climate change with recurrent extreme weather events such as flash floods, heat waves, and coastal erosion.

Internationally, both nations have set climate targets, yet these goals lack the ambition to prevent the most severe consequences of climate change. India and China are among the wealthiest developing countries, with significant geopolitical influence over their peers. This positions them as contenders to lead the Global South not only in climate mitigation efforts but also resilience building and adaptation. Furthermore, both countries face growing expectations from the Global North as well as low-income countries, including the Least Developed Countries (LDC) and Small Island Developing States (SIDS), to take on more responsibility for climate action. They are also expected to differentiate themselves from the rest of the developing country bloc due to their ability to mobilise international finance (both public and private) and their comparatively higher capacity to implement climate solutions with fewer challenges than low-income countries.

In this context, while climate cooperation has historically remained limited due to geopolitical challenges, the recent warming in bilateral ties, with greater stability at the border, opens up new opportunities for these Asian giants to work together in advancing climate action as well as cementing their position as global leaders. This piece explores the challenges and opportunities for collaboration that could strengthen trust and bilateral relations in the long run.

Read the full article in the China-India Brief.