A window into what we are reading at the Wilson Center’s Environmental Change and Security Program

What’s Next for the Teesta Water Disputes? (The Hindu) 

The recent political upheaval in Bangladesh which led to the resignation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and the return of Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammed Yunus as leader of an interim government is not the only tumult in this nation. A worsening trend in weather events there has heightened Bangladesh’s exposure to climate shocks and allowed a dispute over the Teesta River to reemerge.

The Teesta flows from India’s North Sikkim region through West Bengal before heading downstream to Bangladesh. Bilateral negotiations between the two nations had reached a stalemate under Hasina’s leadership, with West Bengal authorities citing their region’s population needs as a priority. Now Syeda Rizwana Hasan, Bangladesh’s advisor on water, forest, environment, and climate change, wants to put this dialogue back on track, with an emphasis on the needs of communities in her nation to gain access to Teesta’s water. 

As a renowned environmentalist, Hasan has indicated that she might reach out to international forums to resolve Bangladesh’s water-sharing disputes with India. She also plans to include local communities with a stake in the outcome at the negotiation table. India and Bangladesh have successfully agreed on water-sharing treaties in the past, including the 1996 Ganga Water Treaty, which is evidence that such cooperation is still possible. 

READ | Flowing Together: Peace and Conflict’s Role in Socio-hydrology 

Climate Migration Amplifies Existing Gender Inequalities (Relief Web) 

A new report from the Danish Institute for International Studies (DIIS) explores the links between gender, caste, poverty, migration, and climate change in Nepal, and its intersectional lens offers a particular focus on how climate risks affect Madhesi Dalit women.  For centuries, unfair societal norms have meant that these women have suffered marginalization and discrimination.  

The DIIS study found that women who live apart from their husbands are stigmatized in society, yet also remain dependent on their spouse’s money. When men in the region must migrate to seek labor, women there are left with the full burden of household responsibilities—a situation that contributes to their climate vulnerability. For instance, when recurrent flood events leave houses waterlogged, women alone must shift their children to safer places. And in the absence of remittances, these women are left without the financial means to accomplish these climate adaptation efforts. 

The climate mobility issues facing men in the region also amplify women’s immobility. Due to gendered and societal norms, women tend to stay with their in-laws when men are away working, thus intensifying their immobility. The solution of offering women loans in these circumstances becomes a double-edged sword. While these loans enable the mobility of husbands and sons who contribute to household income, the burden of this debt falls entirely on women who already lack access to finance in the case of any illness, death, or other mishaps.  

READ | Investigating Climate Migration: Global Realities and Resilience 

First Plastics Pollution Treaty Spurs Backlash (Associated Press News) 

Two years ago in Nairobi, 175 member states agreed to make the first legally binding treaty to address the growing problem of plastic pollution, including in the marine ecosystem. Since 2022, the UN Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on Plastic Pollution has hosted four sessions to discuss the rules and procedures that will further efforts to make that treaty. Yet as a new session in South Korea this November appears on the horizon, prior treaty talks in Bangkok have faced significant backlash from several communities.  

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has received several letters representing the views of thousands of environmentalists. One major complaint is that waste pickers, indigenous peoples, tribal leaders, and other members of civil society are concerned about restrictions on their participation in these talks. Prior sessions have involved two expert groups which have focused on the chemicals that go into plastic products, as well as the financial aspects of the treaty. National delegations including China and Iran also have brought industry representatives from the oil industry to the talks.    

While restricting participation to national delegates and experts is not new for such forums, these advocates argue that the stakes are too high for this accord. They are seeking a well-rounded plastics treaty that addresses plastic production as well as plastic waste. They stress that a treaty that lacks stakeholder participation and does not address the entire life-cycle of plastics will not only prove inviable—but also set a bad precedent for future treaties. 

READ | Microplastics in Soil – Small Size Big Impact on U.S. and Chinese Agriculture