EDITORIAL

Green solutions are emerging from the Global South

Various international scientific institutions have projected that a severe water crisis and subsequent food shortages worldwide are likely to occur within the next 25 years. This issue is on the agenda of the United Nations, which aims to establish a common understanding of fundamental issues and maintain international order, as well as numerous other global and regional organizations. Meetings are held and decisions are made. However, no feasible, concrete solution that serves the common interests of all peoples against this enormous threat to humanity's future has yet been put forward. Furthermore, the decisions made at these meetings disadvantage developing countries due to current inequalities in the international system. 
The crisis facing the world today is best understood by looking beyond Western-centric viewpoints and conducting an objective analysis. It becomes clear that the real culprit behind the crisis facing the world today is the system run by developed countries that destroys nature for private profit and gain. According to scientific calculations, the majority of greenhouse gas emissions that have caused global warming since the Industrial Revolution have originated in developed countries. However, it is developing countries that are most affected by the consequences. Given this, it is the developed countries of the Global North that should bear the most significant responsibility. Yet the Global North is attempting to shift the burden of this crisis onto the Global South. 
In fact, the solution lies in an approach that aims to achieve harmony between humans and nature, based on the common good of all humanity. As with other global issues, solutions to this problem, which threatens humanity as a whole, are emerging from the developing world. Over the past decade, developing countries have been advancing cooperation for green, low-carbon development within the Global South cooperation platforms, led by the BRICS, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, and the Belt and Road Initiative. Nation-states in the Global South are uniting under a new understanding through these cooperation platforms. Given the stalling of the neoliberal economic and political international order, developing world states are converging based on shared development goals. At the same time, the groundwork is being laid for an alternative model based on domestic markets and production that will replace the current system of external debt financing and free markets. By coming together on this basis, Global South countries are advancing towards building a common future for humanity, increasing their cooperation for a 'green industry', and resisting imperialist impositions. Indeed, the situation can be summarized as 'the Global North brings destruction; the Global South brings solutions.' 

FİKRET AKFIRAT
Editor-in-Chief

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BRIQ Vol.7 Issue:1

Contents

Abstract

The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has consistently upheld green development as a fundamental principle and core philosophy, effectively promoting industrial green transformation, new energy development, environmental governance, and biodiversity conservation in BRI countries. The BRI has emerged as one of the world’s most important platforms for green cooperation and a key global public good. However, new trends in low-carbon rules for international trade are emerging with introducing policies such as the carbon border adjustment mechanism (CBAM) and carbon labeling for imported and exported goods by the EU, the U.S., and Japan. These trends include cutthroat competition for first-mover advantage, the formation of coalitions for low-carbon trade barriers, the diversification of trade restrictions, the expansion of corporate low-carbon procurement, and the politicization of carbon-related trade rules. These evolving rules exert pressure on BRI countries' trade, industrial development, and new energy development through trade compliance demands, industrial carbon lock-in, carbon pricing limitations, and new energy integration controls, impacting the pace of green BRI advancement. To address these challenges, BRI countries must capitalize on the CBAM transition period by implementing coordinated measures, including collaborative development of carbon accounting standards, mutual recognition of carbon pricing mechanisms, and standardized carbon disclosure protocols, while participating in international rule-making processes to establish a low-carbon trade rule system that aligns with developmental realities and serves the collective interests of the majority of countries.
 

Abstract

Climate change has emerged as the most urgent and vitally important global challenge of the twenty-first century, profoundly impacting environmental systems, economic structures, and social stability. Among its most severe consequences are the closely interconnected water scarcity and food insecurity crises, which threaten to destabilize communities and profoundly exacerbate inequalities worldwide. This study examines the multidimensional relationship and complex nexus between climate change, water resources, and food security; it addresses the mechanisms through which climate change disrupts hydrological cycles, agricultural productivity, and global supply chains. Drawing on current empirical studies, policy frameworks, and an interdisciplinary perspective, the article discusses the increasing vulnerability of arid and semi-arid regions, developing countries, and small-scale farmers. Beyond biological and physical impacts, dimensions such as increased resource competition, population displacement, and political instability are also detailed. The article emphasizes the urgent need for integrated water resources management, the adoption of climate-smart agriculture (CSA), sustainable dietary changes, and robust policy frameworks that prioritize equity and climate justice. It concludes by proposing measures and tools to mitigate the effects of climate change.
 

Abstract

The international governance system is undergoing a structural transformation, and this transformation is catalyzed by the rise of regional blocs and institutions that increasingly challenge the traditional dominance of Western-led institutions. This article analyzes the global transition from a unipolar liberal hegemonic order, dominated by Western-led institutions, especially after World War II, toward a multipolar global governance system characterized by the emergence of regional blocs and institutions. It argues that the growing inability of traditional inter-state institutions to address 21st-century challenges, such as climate change, economic inequality, and political multipolarity, which require a common understanding and cooperation, has led to the proliferation of alternative governance structures rooted in regionalism and South-South cooperation. It distinguishes between “regional blocs” as informal cooperative tendency of groupings formed around shared challenges or geographic proximity on the world stage, and “institutions” as formalized organizations with structured rules and long-term governance frameworks. By categorizing institutions, this paper evaluates how regional blocs and institutions are shaping a more inclusive and pluralistic governance architecture globally. Special attention is given to mechanisms associated with the rise of China and the Global South, as well as their implications for the future configuration of global governance. The study concludes that the international system is shifting from an inter-state conflict resolution framework to a global challenge-management paradigm, with multipolar governance at its core. 
 

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to explore the significance of the Islamic System to the democratization of international relations. In the current multipolar era, the Islamic world represents a potentially significant balancing force alongside China, the United States, Russia, and Europe. Through a comparative study with the Tributary System and the Treaty System, the article confirms the existence of the Islamic System as a model of international relations. In Chinese academic circles, the authors of this paper are among the first scholars to posit the actual existence of the Islamic System. This paper argues that the Islamic System is a model of international relations dominated by Islamic powers (historically, empires, and in the modern context, leading states), with Islam serving as the common ideology within the system. Historically, its external relations were characterized by territorial expansion in the early stage and primarily by trade and missionary activities in the later stage. The Islamic System demonstrated remarkable longevity. Since the late 19th century, efforts to revive the Islamic System have persisted, and its re-establishment holds great significance for the democratization of international relations.