Geopolitics – Global South Policy Review

South Africa climate change act is now in force

Lisa Matata

South Africa’s Climate Change Act, effective from May 2025, marks a major step in enforcing climate action across public and private sectors. It introduces binding measures such as Sectoral Emissions Targets for high-emission industries, mandatory carbon budgets with legal penalties for non-compliance, and stronger regulatory oversight. The Act also mandates local governments to integrate climate planning. It aligns South Africa with global efforts toward a low-carbon, resilient economy.

Maritime trade in volatile weather

Swathi Kalyani

India must invest more in weather monitoring systems to safeguard and leverage its maritime commerce India reported a dramatic increase in its coastline measurement – from 7,518 km to 11,510 km – thanks to comprehensive surveys utilising advanced geospatial technology. This significant expansion reinforces India’s status as a maritime powerhouse, strategically positioned along the world’s

Nothing to fear from Trumps higher tariff threat in agriculture

Dr Devinder Sharma

When I recently read that the US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick had very specifically asked India to open up its market for highly subsidized American farm produce, I am reminded of what a former Chief Economist of the World Bank, Nicholas Stern, during his travels in the country at that time, had succinctly remarked: “I agree it is a sin to provide the US farmers the kind of subsidies they get, but it will be a recipe for disaster if India does not open up.”

The same kind of hypocrisy has been exhibited time and again by successive US Secretaries of Agriculture.

‘Indus Waters Treaty needs a rethink’: Country’s top glaciologist warns of shrinking Indian share in river flows

Nikhil Ghanekar

India’s eastern Indus glaciers are melting faster than Pakistan’s and that will reduce water availability after mid-century, leading glaciologist at IISc Anil Kulkarni tells The Indian Express in an interview.

Anil Kulkarni points out that although the Indus Waters Treaty allocates 20% of the river flows to India, only about 5% of the glacier-stored water is in the eastern basins under India’s control, while 95% is in the western basins allocated to Pakistan. This disparity, coupled with accelerated glacier retreat due to climate change, could significantly impact India’s water share in the future.

Climate change poses new challenges for troops at the Indian borders

Kalyan Das

Global warming is not only altering weather patterns but also increasingly posing challenges to the defence forces stationed in high-altitude areas along the borders (LoC with Pakistan and the LAC with China).
Erratic and less snowfall along with unpredictable rainfall patterns and drying up of natural streams in the Himalayas over the years are major concerns. And its effects are visible on the ground with infiltration risks to disrupted infrastructure projects, according to senior security establishment officials.

UN climate talks face a credibility crisis as countries disengage

The Conversation

In Baku, Azerbaijan, the so-called “finance-Cop” was a disappointment. Now, the UN’s Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is facing a credibility crisis.
A key failure in Baku was about how much money developing nations will be paid for adaptation projects that help communities and infrastructure withstand the impacts of climate change. The outcome included US$300 billion (£239 billion) for both adaptation and mitigation with no clarity on whether this will be in the form of grants or loans. This falls far short of what developing countries need.

Climate crisis on track to destroy capitalism, warns top insurer

Damian Carrington

The climate crisis is on track to destroy capitalism, a top insurer has warned, with the vast cost of extreme weather impacts leaving the financial sector unable to operate.
The world is fast approaching temperature levels where insurers will no longer be able to offer cover for many climate risks, said Günther Thallinger, on the board of Allianz SE, one of the world’s biggest insurance companies. He said that without insurance, which is already being pulled in some places, many other financial services become unviable, from mortgages to investments.

A Closer Look at the Global South: The revival of the concept signals enduring frustration with inequalities embedded in the global order

Erica Hogan

The venerable concept of the “Global South” has enjoyed a remarkable revival as a descriptor of postcolonial and developing country solidarity in world affairs. The term’s resurgence, however, has also engendered pushback, with many calling for a phaseout of the expression. Writing in the Financial Times, columnist Alan Beattie calls the label “patronising, factually inaccurate, a contradiction in terms,” and “deeply unhelpful.” In Foreign Policy, Indian strategist C. Raja Mohan argues that the phrase “denies agency to individual countries by treating them as one bloc” with “fluid boundaries and vague criteria for inclusion.”

India’s Green Leap: Transitioning to Clean Energy for a Sustainable Future

Team MyGov, India

“India is fully committed to building a cleaner, greener planet. We were the first among G20 nations to meet our Paris Agreement commitments on green energy, well ahead of schedule. While we continue to strengthen existing solutions, we are also focused on embracing new and innovative approaches” – PM Shri Narendra Modi

As the world faces the escalating impacts of climate change, the need for clean, sustainable energy solutions has never been more urgent. Transitioning to clean energy—derived from renewable sources such as solar, wind, and hydropower—has become a global imperative. This shift not only helps mitigate climate change but also creates economic opportunities, enhances energy security, and promotes social well-being.

Two years, no agreement on plastics: Where to from here? The Local and Subnational Government Coalition asks after INC-5

Dr Magash Naidoo

Held from 25 November to 1 December 2024, in Busan, Republic of Korea, the fifth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on Plastic Pollution (INC-5) to develop a Global Plastic Treaty concluded without an agreement, pushing further negotiations into 2025. The draft text made some references to local and subnational governments, prompting the Local and Subnational Governments Coalition to End Plastic Pollution to advocate for stronger inclusion and appealing to all local and subnational governments to join the Coalition.

All Categories