“Climate Diplomacy in Perspective” explores challenges for foreign policy
adelphi’s latest publication “Climate Diplomacy in Perspective – From Early Warning to Early Action” highlights the key positions in the debate on the security risks of climate change and the prospects of climate diplomacy.
The compilation, edited by adelphi’s experts on climate and security, Dennis Taenzler and Alexander Carius, builds on a conference on “Climate Diplomacy in Perspective” hosted by the German Federal Foreign Office and adelphi in Berlin in October 2011. More than 100 policy makers and experts from over 30 countries had come together to discuss the importance of enhancing the dialogue on climate change and security, building early warning capacities and fostering partnerships for early action and conflict prevention.
With insightful contributions from politicians, experts and leading scholars, the publication gives particular emphasis to water resource management, global food security, and rising sea levels that threaten coastal areas and low-lying island states. The authors explore ways to further develop regional cooperation and dialogue in light of a changing climate and provide strong arguments for urgent action that complements international climate negotiations.
The publication is available here: http://bwv.verlag-online.eu/shop/bwv/apply/viewdetail/id/4496/
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Even as the US officially pulled out of the Paris Agreement earlier this week, it might be too soon to lose hope on the country's long-term commitments to climate action. If a Democrat wins the upcoming presidential elections, which are set for November 2020, a reaccession process could begin shortly after the withdrawal is complete. In the meantime, however, the effect on trade policy could be significant.
European peatlands could turn from carbon sinks to sources as a quarter have reached levels of dryness unsurpassed in a record stretching back 2,000 years, according to a new study. This trend of “widespread” and “substantial” drying corresponds to recent climate change, both natural and human-caused, but may also be exacerbated by the peatlands being used for agriculture and fuel.
Tackling Food Security and Protracted Crisis in Horn of Africa
The Kingdom of the Netherlands has contributed $28 million to back FAO's work to boost the resilience of food systems in Somalia, Sudan, and South Sudan - part of a new initiative to scale-up resilience-based development work in countries affected by protracted crises.
A group of five small countries have announced that they will launch negotiations on a new Agreement on Climate Change, Trade and Sustainability, which, if successful, would constitute the first international trade agreement focused solely on climate change and sustainable development. The initiative also breaks new ground by aiming to simultaneously remove barriers for trade in environmental goods and services and crafting binding rules to eliminate fossil fuel subsidies. Small countries can pioneer the development of new trade rules that can help achieve climate goals, but making credible commitments, attracting additional participants, and ensuring transparency will be essential ingredients for long-term success.