The publication “Climate Diplomacy: Reducing Risks for Security” documents the initiative of the German Federal Foreign Office on climate change and security. In particular, it details the series of regional dialogues, climate security dialogues, as well as activities that took place in the context of the United Nations Security Council.
On a side event on climate change and its impact on foreign and security policy, in New York, 28 September, UN Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson argues that “the only viable answer to energy security, food security and water security and long-term geo-political security is a sustainable, low-emissions economy”. The side event was organized by Germany and Morocco.
The changing climate has severe implications, locally, regionally and globally. 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. 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 impact of climate change is posing a growing threat to peace and security. Germany is therefore putting climate and security on the Security Council’s agenda.
Russia’s economic development minister warned last week that the EU’s plans to deploy a carbon tax at the bloc’s borders will not be in line with World Trade Organisation (WTO) rules, just as Brussels doubled down on the idea of green tariffs.
Few places have suffered more from the COVID-19 pandemic than southern China, the region where the novel coronavirus was first detected in the city of Wuhan. But it turned out that the pandemic is not the only calamity to befall south China this year. The region has been inundated by heavy rainfall since late May, creating a risk of catastrophic flooding.
Natural resources-based conflicts are sometimes made complex by non-climate push and pull factors, like unemployment and political tension. These factors should be taken into account when developing and implementing a peacebuilding strategy, making sure all stakeholders are at the table – including those fueling the conflict. The online workshop ‘Integrating peacebuilding and climate change mitigation efforts in natural resource management’, organised by the European Peacebuilding Liaison Office (EPLO) and adelphi, looked into this complex issue.