India, China to play 'critical role' in fight against climate change

New Delhi: China and India will play critical roles in determining the trajectory of temperature rise, a report by the US intelligence community said, adding that the two neighbours are the first and third largest emitting countries, respectively.

"Both are growing their total and per capita emissions, largely because of their reliance on cheap electricity generation from coal for economic growth, and because of their efforts to appease domestic constituencies who rely on the coal industry for jobs," the report said.

Climate change will increasingly exacerbate risks to US national security interests as the physical impacts increase and geopolitical tensions mount about the global response to the challenge. The increasing physical effects of climate change also are likely to intensify or cause domestic and cross-border geopolitical flashpoints, the report said.

As temperatures rise and more extreme climate effects manifest, there is a growing risk of conflict over resources associated with water, arable land, and the Arctic. Additional factors, such as migration, some of which will be exacerbated by climate and weather events, will heighten these risks.

Contested economic and military activities in the Arctic have the potential to increase the risk of miscalculation, particularly while there are military tensions between Russia and the other seven Arctic countries following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in early 2022.