NextBillion - An Initiative of the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan

While the geopolitical chessboard has never been devoid of conflicts, the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022 thrust the world into a new phase of uncertainty, fueling an energy crisis, aggravating inflationary pressures resulting in food & resource scarcity and fragmenting an already divided world. A shadow of distrust was cast among superpowers, with many dubbing the aggression as the advent of the Second Cold War, compounding fears that the world is on the brink of an all-out global warfare, the likes of which have not been witnessed since 1945.

Naturally, this does not bode well for our collective hope for a peaceful, sustainable future, however, there is an argument that amidst this high degree of disintegration of international unity, the case for driving climate action and promoting holistic sustainable development has never been stronger — it in fact holds the key towards facilitating international collaboration and can become a critical lever for harmonising geopolitical relations.

We have all been privy to the adage that “the tipping point of climate change is nigh upon us”, and recent IPCC reports warning of the code red for humanity, complemented by the extremely apparent climate disasters increasing in frequency, have elevated the urgency of securing a 1.5° C future to astronomical levels. It is becoming increasingly evident, that any geopolitical crisis will exacerbate the climate crisis and its negative effects further.