Geopolitics of Climate Change and Water Security in South Asia: Conflict and Cooperation

South Asia’s climate vulnerabilities have direct and indirect implications for water security. While the effects of climate change on water access, safety, and affordability in the region are becoming increasingly adverse, the transboundary nature of both climate change and water security, especially on account of shared water resources, complicates responses. The shared river basins, such as the Indus, Ganges, Meghna, and Brahmaputra, have been marred by geopolitical tensions, which renders transboundary climate cooperation to deal with water-related problems difficult. Although the region has seen different forms of cooperation in the form of river water sharing treaties/arrangements as well as regional organizations’ role in advancing cooperation, these efforts rarely take cognizance of the effects of climate change on water security. In this context, the chapter provides an analysis of the challenges posed by climate change to water security and geopolitics of transboundary conflicts and cooperation in South Asia, as well as explores opportunities for cooperation among the countries of the region.