One of the world’s lowest-lying countries invited international experts to discuss the security challenges related to climate change.
The Dhaka Global Dialogue (11-13 November 2019) brought together stakeholders from across the Indo-Pacific Region to discuss the shared challenges they face. Co-hosted by the Observer Research Foundation (ORF), India and the Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies (BIISS), the conference raised issues such as growth and development in the Indo-Pacific and the link between climate security and migration.
As Dhanasree Jayaram noted in her recent South Asia risk brief for the Climate Security Expert Network, extreme weather events and sea level rise are driving irregular migration in the region, especially from rural to urban areas. Dhaka for example, is the most densely populated city and the world and receives up to 400,000 low-income migrants every year. This has the potential to exacerbate urban inequalities, competition for urban resources and services, and tensions between local authorities and urban slum dwellers.
Beatrice Mosello of adelphi took part in the climate security and migration panel discussion along with Md. Shahidul Haque, senior secretary from the Bangladeshi Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina gave the opening address, underscoring how seriously the low-lying country takes international cooperation on climate-related issues.
Dr. Mosello also moderated a panel on “Ecofeminism: Engendering Green Transitions”, an often overlooked topic – women are the primary energy managers in households across the region’s developing countries and are thus the main agents of change in the transition to sustainable energy.
A little over a decade ago, the Himalayan region was considered by the IPCC a 'black hole for data'. Small steps have been taken since then, but now scientists hope recent border clashes and the pandemic will not derail the limited progress made on research cooperation over the past decade.
New report for policymakers provides an overview of the growing research on the links between climate change, security and peace. The synthesis identifies ten insights into climate-related security risks and lays the groundwork for the Global Climate Security Risk and Foresight Assessment, led by adelphi and PIK, that will be launched at the Berlin Climate and Security Conference.
In the wake of Germany’s United Nations Security Council (UNSC) presidency for the month of July 2020, its role in addressing climate change in the body gains even greater importance. A look into selected UNSC members that are also pushing the climate issue reveals: health and economic risks are key entry-points.