Abstract
Global climate change-essentially an adverse consequence of global warming, is principally caused by progressive build-up and extensive spread of greenhouse gases (GHGs) across countries, regions or continents because of earth’s rotational movement. The potent sources of GHGs are fossil-fuels and biomass. With the increasing pace of globalization, industrialization and rapid change of life-style the demand and consumption of these feed-stocks to stimulate economic growth is steadily rising-both in the developing and developed economy. In the process, the emissions level is also rising phenomenally; and of late become quite alarming-more in the former than latter case, affecting thereby the environmental quality as also its security concerns globally. This paper highlights the major impacts of global warming and consequential climate change on the environmental quality and overall security aspects-including commercial, strategic and defense angles for the South-Asian region. The paper also discusses some relevant aspects linking the larger question of energy security with environmental security through the approach of sustainable energy development for envisioning a balanced economic development as well as growth perspective for South Asia. The significance of International cooperation in the mitigation and adaptation of climate change impacts with special reference to Asia- Pacific and South Asian region is also discussed at some length in the paper.
Highlights
The terms global warming and climate change are often used co-tremendously, but the two phenomena are different
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change reported that greenhouse gas (GHG) concentrations in the global atmosphere were rising as a result of human ghg emissions, principally from fossil fuel burning
For a rapid economic development, both the developed as well as the developing economy of the world are using energy-intensive technologies, making extensive use of fossil-fuels as feedstock. This has caused a huge build-up of Green House Gases (GHGs) causing adverse impact on the environmental quality, human and animal lives
Summary
The terms global warming and climate change are often used co-tremendously, but the two phenomena are different. In 1988, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change was created by the United Nations Environment Programme and the World Meteorological Organization to assess the scientific knowledge on global warming. That report led the way to an international convention for climate change—namely the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), signed by over 150 countries at the Rio Earth Summit in 92 [1]. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change reported that greenhouse gas (GHG) concentrations in the global atmosphere were rising as a result of human ghg emissions, principally from fossil fuel burning. While the global dependency on fossil energy for economic growth remains nearly 100% at this time, the IPCC noted that cuts in GHG emissions in the order of 60% - 80% were required immediately if rising atmospheric GHG concentrations were to be stabilized just at the present raised values [2]
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