How is Climate Change Reshaping International Relations Among Countries

 How is Climate Change Reshaping International Relations Among Countries Climate change, a modern day issue only first being recognized in 1896, has played a large role in how modern nations view and create relations with other actors. The initial theories of international relations and the growing disciplines were created upon the issues of war and security threats amongst citizens of nations, these theories and ideologies excluded the environmental threats in regards to security (Vogler, 2018). While most global issues have revolved around other interests such as economic and financial stabilities, or peace and stability among other nations, in order to maintain a better understanding of climate changes occurring, it is imperative to acknowledge that climate change has created a vast change on how international actors work with one another. Prior to what we now know as the climate crisis, stability such as financial, power, military and status were much more crucial to state actors.While climate change does not fit the traditional realist image of what is defined as a security threat, it intensifies already existing conflicts and instability among states, which are being forced to grapple and defend themselves just as the would another hostile adversary (Sofer, 2015)Not only has climate change caused a massive change in how states interact with one another, but other security and health reasons such as Covid-19 has created an impact on the priorities of what international relations mean to other states. It is now that it is most important that states convene with one another more than ever in order to come to common solutions for environmental sustainability issues that are crucial to the survival of mankind. Whereas prior to the IR theories, such as realism or liberalism, they weren’t applied to issues such as global health or climate change, or security for those within nations. As the clock begins to tick at a more rapid rate than ever, it seems as if there continues to be large disagreements and instability within the states in order to come to a common solution or agreements. For example, the 1998 Kyoto Protocol was unsuccessful in their goals to emit greenhouse gasses from the atmosphere, as there was an unbalance between the states which were developed and those who were not. Both China and India refused to cut down on emission rates as they were both in rapid states of development and did not want to fall behind on their steadily rising economic growth. It has been power and greed which has been the main culprit in preventing the creation of effective solutions for climate change. Some may ask, then how was the Montreal Protocol became successful—because not all major hegemonic countries were involved, thus resulting in less of an economic growth power war between the ruling countries. Russia, China are most likely to use their states power to their own advantage, resulting in pulling out of deals which are likely to debilitate their power, such as economic growth or trade deals with other countries for fossil fuels. In past years, the 2015 UN Climate Change Conference has been more of a priority than other various security councils such as the NATO or the UN security council. A new global order is emerging, which prioritizes both human rights and environmental protections, variations within water and food availability continue to be a growing competition over both term and short term objectives, as water management and food production are being more closely monitored in order to combat climate and health crises (Castro Pereira, 2015).Initial IR theories such as realism and liberalism are being applied too these new ideas adaptations to how international relations is conducted among the states. Climate change is an external security threat to the US and all states, therefore the realist theory states that, when an issue such as this is viewed as an external threat similar towards any other hostile state, the realist theory argues that the US should ally with other countries which face the same threats to combat the threat until it decreases (Sofer, 2015).

Work Cited 

Vogler, J., 2018. [online] Taylor & Francis Group. Available at: <https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9781315179537-2/international-relations-theory-environment-john-vogler> [Accessed 3 May 2022].

Sofer, K., 2015. The Realist Case for Climate Change Cooperation. [online] Center for American Progress. Available at: <https://www.americanprogress.org/article/the-realist-case-for-climate-change-cooperation/#:~:text=When%20climate%20change%20is%20viewed,it%20until%20the%20threat%20subsides.> [Accessed 3 May 2022].

        Castro Pereira, J., 2015. Environmental issues and international relations, a new global (dis)order - the role of International Relations in promoting a concerted international system. [online] SciELO—Brazil. Available at: <https://www.researchgate.net/publication/283036911_Environmental_issues_and_international_relations_a_new_global_disorder_-_The_role_of_International_Relations_in_promoting_a_concerted_international_system> [Accessed 2 May 2022].