Talk on climate change and river disputes in South Asia

Ashok Swain is a Professor of Peace and Conflict Research, UNESCO Chair of International Water Cooperation, and the Director of Research School of International Water Cooperation at Uppsala University, Sweden. He received his Ph.D. from the Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi in 1991, and since then he has been teaching at the Uppsala University. He has written extensively on new security challenges, water sharing issues, environment, conflict and peace, and democratic development issues. He has worked as a consultant on water sharing and development issues for various international and government agencies.

 

Abstract of the talk:

The Himalayas is the source of major transboundary rivers in South Asia. The rise in temperature of Himalayas in recent years due to global climate change has been much higher than the global average. The shifts in rainfall pattern and increasing extreme weather events have increased floods and droughts in the region. The rising sea-level is increasingly putting Delta areas at high risk and enhance the social tension. South Asian countries sharing rivers like Indus, Ganges, and Brahmaputra, which emerge in the Himalayas are also witnessing changing relationships and changing economies in the face of climate change. The emergence of China as a global power has dramatically challenged India’s age-old domination in these river basins. The presentation aims to address the impact of these changes on water sharing mechanisms in the South Asian region and implications for policy making in development and security sectors.