India votes against UN Draft Resolution on Climate Change

Recently, India voted against a United Nations Security Council (UNSC) draft resolution that linked climate change to security.

• The resolution was co-sponsored by Ireland and Niger. It was first proposed by Germany in 2020.
• It was supported by 113 UN member countries, including 12 UNSC members. India and Russia voted against it and China abstained.

India’s Stance: India said that the resolution was an attempt to shift climate talks from the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to the Security Council and a step backward for collective action on the issue.

• Evading Responsibility: The attempt to discuss climate action and climate justice issues at the UNSC was motivated by a desire to evade responsibility in the appropriate forum.
• Undermine Progress: The draft resolution, according to India, would undermine progress made at the 26th Conference of the Parties (COP26) at Glasgow, where the latest rounds of talks were held under the UNFCCC.
• Lack of Consensus: Also, the reason countries were attempting to bring climate talks to the Security Council was that decisions could be taken without consensus or the involvement of most developing countries.
• Free Hand in Decision: If the Security Council indeed takes over the responsibility on this issue, a few states will then have a free hand in deciding on all climate-related issues. India said this is clearly neither desirable nor acceptable.
• Misleading: Finally, India stated that viewing conflicts through the prism of climate change was misleading and an oversimplification that could worsen conflicts rather than resolving them.