Nobody needs to be convinced that climate change affects our very existence and security. However, experts are interested to know how climate change affects security at a global level and what the EU can do in that regard. This was the main aim of the European Security and Defence College (ESDC) Climate Change and Security Course co-organised by the French Institute for Higher National Defence Studies (IHEDN) and adelphi, as part of the Climate Diplomacy initiative supported by the German Federal Foreign Office, which took place in Brussels from 21 to 23 October 2019.
The course continued the main narrative of last year’s high-level event “Climate, peace and security: the time for action” convened by the High Representative/Vice-President Federica Mogherini, namely that climate security has emerged as an important foreign policy issue. It also highlighted the fact that the European Union needs to connect climate change policies with crisis prevention and peacebuilding initiatives as well as integrate these efforts within existing regional and sectoral policies in order to help safeguard international security and stability.
To this end, the course gave participants the opportunity to consider and work on a number of specific themes, and to assess global climate change scenarios and the risks that these present for peace and international security. Particular attention was given to key international and European actors, policies and critical debates in the climate change and security context. It was also recognised that climate change will indirectly affect the role of our armed forces, which will be given new missions.
One of the most interactive sessions was the simulation of a meeting of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) in which the UNSC debated a resolution on the impact of climate change on international peace and security. The simulation explored the potential security risks of climate change as well as the diverging positions and interests of member states regarding UNSC action. The exercise gave participants first-hand experience of the dynamics and sensitivities related to the issue of climate change and security within the UNSC.
The very last session of the course was both challenging and practical. The course moderator asked them to assess how climate security considerations might be better integrated into their professional life. The question prompted participants to think in a very pragmatic way and made them aware that climate-sensitive behaviour matters at individual level, on a daily basis, and needs to be part of everyone’s working routine. The group was very well balanced: twenty-seven women and thirty men, with various professional backgrounds from EU member states and institutions attended the course.
[This article originally appeared on esdc.europa.eu]
Water diplomacy: a tool for climate action? – Event summary
As part of this year’s online World Water Week at Home, adelphi and IHE Delft convened the workshop "Water diplomacy: a tool for climate action?". The workshop reflected on the role that foreign policy can play in mitigating, solving and potentially preventing conflicts over the management of transboundary water resources, especially in a changing climate.
Deforestation in Brazil: It’s not just the Amazon
The Cerrado, a tropical savannah region located in Central Brazil, is nearly half as large as the Amazon and a deforestation hotspot. Yet little attention is paid to this important biome. That has to change.
Are China’s New Silk Road Ambitions a Desert Mirage?
China’s Belt and Road Initiative projects may exacerbate the risk of climate-related instability across the Middle East in the long term.
With the European Green Deal, the European Commission under President Ursula von der Leyen has committed to accelerating decarbonisation in Europe as a major priority. The report "The Geopolitics of Decarbonization: Reshaping European Foreign Relations" shows how the EU’s external relations need to evolve to adequately reflect the political, economic and social outcomes of this process.