Contemporary US-China Relations and Climate Change: Impacts on National Security and International Relations

Abstract

Global climate change presents a complex and multi-dimensional challenge, ranking among the most significant global public concerns. Climate change has wide-ranging consequences that affect international security, politics, and economic trade relations. The unequal distribution of greenhouse gas emissions generated by humans across borders means that all nations share responsibility to address this issue. As a result, the impact of climate change and its securitization has significant implications for international relations. Climate change encounters the traditional view of human societies, usually interconnected with the global political system. The impact of climate change, like resource scarcity, rising sea levels, displacement of populations, and extreme weather, can lead to conflict over limited resources, which affects security dynamics and diplomatic relations. Notably, China and the United States, having different perspectives on the challenges of climate change, are the world’s largest greenhouse gas emitters and play a pivotal role in this landscape. While historical cooperation on climate change between these two nations exists, its depth and substance remain limited. Given climate change’s irreversible and worldwide implications, the political sway of climate-related matters is continually escalating. An in-depth analysis is required to address the situation. For the said purpose, a qualitative descriptive method is adopted. This paper offers an in-depth investigation and reflective exploration of the influence of climate change on international relations, mainly focusing on China and the United States. This study addresses the economic, political, and global security perspectives and presents a forward-looking assessment of potential future scenarios.