“Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam” - an ancient thought that underscores the relevance of oneness, transcending domestic boundaries burgeoned through parochial perspectives. So is the principle of “Ubuntu”, bearing African roots. The denizens of the past fathomed the profound pertinence of unity. When a transnational crisis such as climate change is addressed, it does not need to be viewed through a narrow nationalistic lens but a global kaleidoscope.

When this new year dawned, it didn't present itself adorned with frosty mist. Nor was it accompanied by the chilly breeze playing the flute. Rather, like a poet said, “January jumped about in the frying pan.” The month was the warmest January on record. It felt like a sequel to the past year which was devastated by extremities; from parched to deluged, the weather kept juggling. As per the estimates of the United States’ National Climate Assessment, there will be 20 to 30 more days over 32 degrees Celsius in the country's most areas by mid-century.

Climate change is a phenomenon that disdains national boundaries. A direct effect of this is the rise in sea level instigated by the thermal expansion of seawater and the melting of polar ice caps as a consequence of global warming. A multiplicity of effects, including nuisance flooding, contamination of freshwater aquifers and infrastructure peril, among others, could derail the stability of life. This was highlighted in a 2022 report by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) which stated that sea-level has risen about 21 to 24 centimetres since 1880. Shoreline erosion through sea-level rise adversely affects the habitats in and around coastal areas. The Venetian coastlines and the island nation of Kiribati belong to the category of places where climate vulnerability is at its peak. While the former lies in proximity to an arm of the Mediterranean, the latter is surrounded by the Pacific Ocean. However, when it comes to the threat of sea-level rise, both are almost equally vulnerable. In matters of climate, maritime boundaries are deliquesced. Therefore, any approach that truly aims at progress in climate should be facilitated with the cooperation of all nations.

Constructing the column for tackling climate change with blocks of regulated carbon release paves the path to attaining sustainability. Nationalistic approaches to addressing climate challenges many a time seem to work but in hindsight. Most policies framed by nations of the world don a selfish hat. The European Union's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism, which taxes carbon intensive produce, was implemented in 2023 with the objective of cutting down emissions by 55 percent by 2030. But the policy, with its stringent measures to prevent carbon leakage, has met with criticism for protecting the competitiveness of EU products. Developing countries like India, which depend on coal for much of the production process, are strangulated by such laws due to their limited access to advanced green technologies. In addition to being burdened by the tax levied on their products, these nations face the challenge of making a swift switch to greener means of production. In effect, the imported goods struggle to compete. Moreover, there exists loopholes within the law aggravated by shortcomings in data collection pertaining to carbon content.

Climate change as an environmental phenomenon cannot be considered in isolation due to its impacts on society and economy. It has the potential to amplify inequalities that leave nations short of infrastructure and resources to overcome social and economic polarisation and reach a state of vulnerability. A climate-instigated emergency such as a drought or flood could rob the poor of their livelihood or resources and they will find it harder to rebounce. Moreover, it creates a new category of vulnerable social group called climate refugees who are forced to flee their homelands for survival. A few years ago, the US witnessed such refugees from countries like Honduras.

While it was primarily the actions of the first world countries that incited an increased rate of global emissions, the ramifications are borne by the developing and poor countries of the globe. As the developed nations have begun to baptise themselves by donning green, they cannot escape the censure for having carried an environmentally insensitive attitude while looting resources to reach the richness they currently relish. Thus, a restitution in the form of support shall be carried out by the richer nations to aid the heightening of global inequality. Nationalistic approaches will only widen disparities and impede the path to inclusivity.

It was the acknowledgement of climate change's transnational nature that propelled the creation of international cooperation in the form of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). When UNFCCC introduced the Green Climate Fund over a decade ago, the core aim was to mitigate the lack of green technological solutions. In practice, it has so far not been able to realise its real potential. A significant achievement of the UNFCCC, the Paris Agreement, has since failed to gain momentum in its implementation. CoP 28 is historical in the sense that it marked the culmination of the first-ever global stocktake. Another key highlight of CoP 28 is the oath to attain net zero carbon emissions by the year 2050. Nevertheless, a rather vague timeframe regarding phasing out fossil fuels has left many nations disheartened. While the annual meet widely garnered attention for its pledges with regard to climate finance, particularly the Loss and Damage Fund, the funds offered seem too insufficient to repair the damages implicated by the developed nations. One of the biggest greenhouse gas emitters, the United States, pledged a mere $20 million for poor nations.

The world is coming together to combat this dire event. Nevertheless, an evaluation of the latest edition of CoP shows that a mere acknowledgment in unison is unsatisfactory. Every climate-insensitive act generates ripples that are unequally felt across communities. Developing countries need to stop playing blame-shifting games. At the same time, every developed nation should plan their next move remembering that their very foundation is built on the pyres of several lives lost through their selfish actions. The past cannot be operated upon, but, through the substantive acts of the present, changes can be brought about. No ecological event respects the narrow domestic walls of humans. Let us also note this as nature's way of telling us to see beyond arbitrary boundaries.

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