The fight against climate change has to be deliberate and collective. This is because climate change doesn’t respect any social classification, community and environment; it affects all. As much as global governments have prominent roles in curbing climate change, so do organisations and individuals in forging international cooperation.
One of the core tools in solving problems amongst nations is using foreign policy to exchange and manage resources which can only be done with international cooperation. This involves the participation of skilled persons and technocrats to ensure specific problems are handled. In relation to climate change, due to the constant nature of the interdependence of nations, international cooperation has almost as much impact as the individual efforts of nations. For instance, a healthy topography is necessary to grow crops for agricultural trades and establish standard infrastructures. From a regional perspective, countries sharing similar borders are very susceptible to likely situations in neighbouring countries; for example, the drought in Chad has negatively impacted Borno state, Nigeria.
It is of great delight to see that efforts of international cooperation are made to ensure that climate change is being tackled. The United Nations hosts the yearly Conference of Parties in its 28th edition. These conferences are held to ensure that there are strategic steps are taken; this includes nations making pledges, forming coalitions and funding projects to safeguard the climate crises are solved. Countries like Germany, Brazil, the USA, France, Japan and many others have committed to investing in projects soled to dissolve climate challenges, like funding and working with private organisations and aiding developing countries in solving climate problems.
To enhance climate action through forging better international cooperation, these are suggestive steps to go forward:
- Fostering more cooperation
As tricky as international cooperation may be, when done strategically and in favour of the state it happens to beneficial. No nation is an island, and the constant exchange of resources to aid development is inevitable. Cooperating with nations with similar interest will accelerate the rate of climate action.
- Policy implementation
Decision taken at national level needs policy implementation. Nations within the same geographical region to create regional policies and implement based on the proximities and the high risk of sharing similar challenges.
- Proper Climate Change sensitization
The United Nations has broken down societal issues into 17 classes and good percentage of them has adverse effect on global decadence. SDG4, quality education, is way bigger than the typical formal education but also covers all ramification of ensuring everyone needs the knowledge they need to survive. There is need for proper education on the dangers of climate change especially at the grassroot level of third world countries, seeing that our daily activities have contributions to global decadence starting from energy management, waste disposal and many others.
- Strategic funding and project implementation
It is common for nations in partnership to establish projects, but there is the need to fund projects using green methods. Be it a government implemented project or the contract given to a private institution, it should be established that the projects are to be carried out in a environment friendly manner. These partnerships could also support business and organization in line with sustainable developments
- Peaceful and multilateral investments.
Trading and investments are very common in international cooperation. most times these trades need infrastructural development. These infrastructural could be created in an environmentally friendly manner in accordance to SDG 9 and 11.