Muhammad Ittefaq
December 2nd, 2024
LSE
As cities in South Asia, especially Pakistan and India, choke under hazardous smog, governments continue to struggle to find tenable solutions. Muhammad Ittefaq makes the case for harnessing ‘city diplomacy’ and ‘science diplomacy’ in tandem to address this annual scourge in the future, when predictions suggest increased urbanisation across the world.
In 2019, Nina Hachigian wrote that cities must take international relations into their own hands. This argument is compelling since the majority of the world’s population is expecting to live in cities by 2050. This is especially relevant in South Asia, where rapid urbanisation has occurred over the last two decades and continues to accelerate. Many of the world’s most pressing challenges, such as climate change, disproportionately affect densely populated urban areas, especially those not located near coastlines. With local governments tasked with addressing the immediate and long-term needs of their residents, city diplomacy must play a central role in solving problems like air pollution. In this post, I argue that city diplomacy, when combined with science diplomacy, will be a more effective approach to solving urban challenges. The USC Center on Public Diplomacy provides a framework creating the first-of-its-kind capacity-building program for effective city diplomacy to solve global problems such as climate change, immigration, health, and security.
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At the moment, South Asia is experiencing its worst smog crisis in decades. For example, Lahore’s Air Quality Index (AQI) has repeatedly crossed 1,000 this month — anything above 300 is considered hazardous. In Delhi, air quality was recorded in the ‘very poor’ category, with an average AQI of 358 in November 2024. This critical situation demands urgent cooperation and assistance at the local, regional and global levels to provide relief to citizens suffering from worsening air quality. Prolonged exposure to toxic air in South Asia poses significant risks to the health and lives of almost 2 billion people. Given that South Asia is not a high-income region, it may lack the capacity in terms of observation, technical resources and financial support. Therefore, it is essential for the region to take decisive action to combat air pollution, particularly seasonal smog, by leveraging both city diplomacy and science diplomacy.
Science diplomacy has emerged as a new form of diplomacy in the 21st century. It is defined as the use of science engagement and collaboration to achieve broader objectives beyond scientific discovery. Institutions dealing with issues like health, climate change, transportation, and infrastructure are in a strong position to activate science diplomacy, as it is more reliant on institutional efforts than individual actions. South Asian institutions — such as city governments, universities in urban areas and civil society organisations operating in major cities — must establish frameworks to effectively implement science diplomacy. Major cities in South Asia can focus on building city-to-city partnerships with scientists, innovators, journalists, activists, engineers, doctors, and climate scientists within the region. These collaborations can help amplify the role of cities as key, influential actors in addressing urgent challenges. Some studies have even suggested building networks among journalists and communities in South Asia who are concerned about climate change, air quality, science journalism and other pressing issues, to further promote cross-sectoral cooperation.
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South Asia needs science diplomacy more than any other region in the world. The region faces a unique set of challenges, including high child mortality rates, severe overpopulation, and frequent heat waves. These issues highlight the urgency of addressing air pollution, especially for vulnerable populations, including those with underlying medical conditions. The Malé Declaration was established as a framework for regional cooperation in South Asia to combat air pollution. However, it has not been effective in achieving its goals and requires significant improvements. In particular, it needs more financial resources, clearer objectives and renewed commitment to monitoring, strengthening and reporting on air quality issues both within and across borders. By leveraging both science diplomacy and city diplomacy, it is crucial to bolster the Malé Declaration and enhance regional cooperation in South Asia. These diplomatic tools can help address the shared challenges of transboundary air pollution and improve a collective action for the benefit of the region’s citizens.
City and science diplomacy can catalyse processes and procedures across a range of policies such as air quality, climate, nitrogen management, health, sustainability, and biodiversity. These diplomatic approaches not only call for cooperation at various scales — local, national, regional, and global — but also promote collaboration across different arenas of decision-making and negotiation. It also involves prioritising science and technology (S&T) policy as a central component of development in the region. By identifying key problems, collecting data, comparing situations, and aligning policies, these efforts can drive coordinated action that brings tangible benefits to the region and its people. Such cooperation does not require full integration or a comprehensive assessment of all policy. Instead, it can focus on achieving clarity around co-benefits such as cost-sharing, expanding the network of air quality monitoring devices across major cities and collaborating on issues deemed relevant and necessary. Through these targeted efforts, city and science diplomacy can support more effective solutions within shared challenges.
Finally, the establishment of ‘science counsellors’ in South Asian diplomatic missions to help facilitate cooperation on science, technology, and innovation, (as well as) addressing the mutual challenges the region faces will be crucial. Currently, nearly all European countries have science and technology counsellors based in Washington DC who are responsible for fostering scientific cooperation, supporting international collaborations and facilitating the exchange of science and technology to drive economic progress. South Asian countries could appoint similar counsellors to promote city and science diplomacy. However, these positions should not be filled through standard bureaucratic processes. Instead, individuals appointed should have advanced degrees in S&T, along with a strong understanding of how these fields can enhance cooperation between cities through science and city diplomacy.
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South Asia must approach the future with optimism, leveraging the potential of science and city diplomacy to make the region more prosperous. European nations have already established numerous initiatives and collaborations in science diplomacy, providing a valuable model for South Asia to build upon.
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The views expressed here are those of the author and do not represent the views of the ‘South Asia @ LSE’ blog, the LSE South Asia Centre or the London School of Economics and Political Science.
Banner image © Rahmat Alizada, Lahore, 2024, Unsplash.
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About the author
Dr Muhammad Ittefaq is Assistant Professor in the School of Communication Studies, James Madison University, USA. His research examines how people consume and interact with information through new technologies, including how they interpret scientific messages, make decisions related to health and climate, and support policies related to science.
As cities in South Asia, especially Pakistan and India, choke under hazardous smog, governments continue to struggle to find tenable solutions. Muhammad Ittefaq makes the case for harnessing ‘city diplomacy’ and ‘science diplomacy’ in tandem to address this annual scourge in the future, when predictions suggest increased urbanisation across the world.
In 2019, Nina Hachigian wrote that cities must take international relations into their own hands. This argument is compelling since the majority of the world’s population is expecting to live in cities by 2050. This is especially relevant in South Asia, where rapid urbanisation has occurred over the last two decades and continues to accelerate. Many of the world’s most pressing challenges, such as climate change, disproportionately affect densely populated urban areas, especially those not located near coastlines. With local governments tasked with addressing the immediate and long-term needs of their residents, city diplomacy must play a central role in solving problems like air pollution. In this post, I argue that city diplomacy, when combined with science diplomacy, will be a more effective approach to solving urban challenges. The USC Center on Public Diplomacy provides a framework creating the first-of-its-kind capacity-building program for effective city diplomacy to solve global problems such as climate change, immigration, health, and security.
*
At the moment, South Asia is experiencing its worst smog crisis in decades. For example, Lahore’s Air Quality Index (AQI) has repeatedly crossed 1,000 this month — anything above 300 is considered hazardous. In Delhi, air quality was recorded in the ‘very poor’ category, with an average AQI of 358 in November 2024. This critical situation demands urgent cooperation and assistance at the local, regional and global levels to provide relief to citizens suffering from worsening air quality. Prolonged exposure to toxic air in South Asia poses significant risks to the health and lives of almost 2 billion people. Given that South Asia is not a high-income region, it may lack the capacity in terms of observation, technical resources and financial support. Therefore, it is essential for the region to take decisive action to combat air pollution, particularly seasonal smog, by leveraging both city diplomacy and science diplomacy.
Science diplomacy has emerged as a new form of diplomacy in the 21st century. It is defined as the use of science engagement and collaboration to achieve broader objectives beyond scientific discovery. Institutions dealing with issues like health, climate change, transportation, and infrastructure are in a strong position to activate science diplomacy, as it is more reliant on institutional efforts than individual actions. South Asian institutions — such as city governments, universities in urban areas and civil society organisations operating in major cities — must establish frameworks to effectively implement science diplomacy. Major cities in South Asia can focus on building city-to-city partnerships with scientists, innovators, journalists, activists, engineers, doctors, and climate scientists within the region. These collaborations can help amplify the role of cities as key, influential actors in addressing urgent challenges. Some studies have even suggested building networks among journalists and communities in South Asia who are concerned about climate change, air quality, science journalism and other pressing issues, to further promote cross-sectoral cooperation.
*
South Asia needs science diplomacy more than any other region in the world. The region faces a unique set of challenges, including high child mortality rates, severe overpopulation, and frequent heat waves. These issues highlight the urgency of addressing air pollution, especially for vulnerable populations, including those with underlying medical conditions. The Malé Declaration was established as a framework for regional cooperation in South Asia to combat air pollution. However, it has not been effective in achieving its goals and requires significant improvements. In particular, it needs more financial resources, clearer objectives and renewed commitment to monitoring, strengthening and reporting on air quality issues both within and across borders. By leveraging both science diplomacy and city diplomacy, it is crucial to bolster the Malé Declaration and enhance regional cooperation in South Asia. These diplomatic tools can help address the shared challenges of transboundary air pollution and improve a collective action for the benefit of the region’s citizens.
City and science diplomacy can catalyse processes and procedures across a range of policies such as air quality, climate, nitrogen management, health, sustainability, and biodiversity. These diplomatic approaches not only call for cooperation at various scales — local, national, regional, and global — but also promote collaboration across different arenas of decision-making and negotiation. It also involves prioritising science and technology (S&T) policy as a central component of development in the region. By identifying key problems, collecting data, comparing situations, and aligning policies, these efforts can drive coordinated action that brings tangible benefits to the region and its people. Such cooperation does not require full integration or a comprehensive assessment of all policy. Instead, it can focus on achieving clarity around co-benefits such as cost-sharing, expanding the network of air quality monitoring devices across major cities and collaborating on issues deemed relevant and necessary. Through these targeted efforts, city and science diplomacy can support more effective solutions within shared challenges.
Finally, the establishment of ‘science counsellors’ in South Asian diplomatic missions to help facilitate cooperation on science, technology, and innovation, (as well as) addressing the mutual challenges the region faces will be crucial. Currently, nearly all European countries have science and technology counsellors based in Washington DC who are responsible for fostering scientific cooperation, supporting international collaborations and facilitating the exchange of science and technology to drive economic progress. South Asian countries could appoint similar counsellors to promote city and science diplomacy. However, these positions should not be filled through standard bureaucratic processes. Instead, individuals appointed should have advanced degrees in S&T, along with a strong understanding of how these fields can enhance cooperation between cities through science and city diplomacy.
*
South Asia must approach the future with optimism, leveraging the potential of science and city diplomacy to make the region more prosperous. European nations have already established numerous initiatives and collaborations in science diplomacy, providing a valuable model for South Asia to build upon.
*
The views expressed here are those of the author and do not represent the views of the ‘South Asia @ LSE’ blog, the LSE South Asia Centre or the London School of Economics and Political Science.
Banner image © Rahmat Alizada, Lahore, 2024, Unsplash.
*
About the author
Dr Muhammad Ittefaq is Assistant Professor in the School of Communication Studies, James Madison University, USA. His research examines how people consume and interact with information through new technologies, including how they interpret scientific messages, make decisions related to health and climate, and support policies related to science.
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