Bad Weather Friends
Context:
Maryam Nawaz Sharif, Chief Minister of Pakistan’s Punjab, has urged India and Pakistan to work together to combat increasing pollution and smog in the region, recognising environmental issues as a shared, urgent concern.
Background of the Situation:
- Shared Environmental Challenges: India and Pakistan, due to their similar geography, shared water sources, and connected airsheds, face common environmental challenges that transcend national borders, making joint efforts essential.
- High Pollution Levels: During crop-burning and festive seasons, pollution peaks, affecting major cities like Delhi and Lahore.
- Six major airsheds that span both countries contribute to cross-border pollution, with PM2.5 and PM10 pollutants causing serious health and economic issues.
- Economic and Health Impacts: Pollution impacts both countries’ economies and healthcare systems.
- For instance, India’s economy loses billions to pollution-related illnesses, and in Lahore, air pollution reduces average life expectancy by up to five years.
Functionalism and Neo-Functionalism
Functionalism is a theoretical approach that emphasises the role of international organisations in fostering cooperation among states. It posits that states are more likely to collaborate when they share common interests and when institutions are in place to facilitate this cooperation. This theory suggests that technical cooperation in specific areas can lead to broader collaboration, ultimately promoting peace and stability. David Mitrany, a key proponent, argued that addressing functional issues—such as health, environment, or economic cooperation—can create a foundation for peaceful relations among nations. Neofunctionalism builds on functionalism but focuses specifically on regional integration processes. It argues that as countries become economically interdependent, they are motivated to integrate further across various sectors. This theory highlights the “spillover” effect, where cooperation in one area leads to further integration in others due to interconnected interests. Ernst Haas, a key figure in neo-functionalism, emphasised the influence of political actors and interest groups in shaping this process. Ajay Basaria‘s book “Anger Management: The Troubled Diplomatic Relationship between India and Pakistan” offers insights that align with a neofunctionalist approach like back channel communication, informal dialogues, etc., which seeks to promote cooperation and integration between states through shared interests and interdependence.
Causes:
- Urban Heat Islands and Climate Effects: Rapid urbanisation in both countries has worsened urban heat islands, adding to health issues and increasing energy demand.
- Urban heat impacts are compounded by pollutants like black carbon, which accelerate glacier melt.
- Glacier Melting and Water Security Risks: The melting glaciers in the Hindu-Kush and Karakoram regions, vital for the Indus River Basin, pose serious risks to food and water security for over 300 million people in north India and Pakistan.
- Decreased river flow would strain irrigation systems, increasing dependence on already-stressed groundwater resources.
- Rising Sea Levels and Coastal Vulnerability: Rising sea levels are projected to increase faster than before, threatening low-lying coastal areas along the Arabian Sea.
- Communities face storm surges, habitat loss, and saline water contamination, putting livelihoods and food security at risk.
The Need for Collaborative Action:
- India and Pakistan must act collectively to tackle shared environmental crises, as they did previously with locust swarms.
- Collaborative actions, like data sharing, joint technology ventures, and renewable energy initiatives, can build trust and open pathways to address other shared challenges.
- Ashok Swain’s analysis of hydropolitics emphasises the intricate relationship between water resources management and geopolitical tensions between India and Pakistan. He argues that shared water resources can either be a source of conflict or cooperation.
