India, China and Climate Cooperation

India and China—two of the largest emitters today—share common concerns arising from climate change. Reports of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and several other studies have concluded that the two countries face imminent threat in the form of ecological degradation, food and water scarcity, agricultural shifts, health hazards, etc. due to climate change. In addition, India and China have shared national circumstances as developing countries. Both nations face serious third world challenges such as socio-economic development, poverty eradication, and health and food security concerns in their respective home fronts. Home to approximately one third of the global population, the developmental needs and aspirations of these countries are enormous and certainly bound to be further complicated by the effects of climate change. India and China have emerged as key players in the international climate change negotiations voicing the concerns of the developing world and ensuring that issues of equity and justice are incorporated in any climate change related international agreement. Given the commonalities of the problems faced by these countries, India and China have embarked on halting yet deliberate climate diplomacy over the years. The core concern of this article is to explore the nature and extent to which India and China have developed cooperative engagement on climate change both at the bilateral as well as the multilateral levels. The article would also seek to analyse the challenges that stand in the way to this cooperative endeavour. Prospects for further cooperation would be explored in the final section.