CLIMATE CHANGE AS A SECURITY CHALLENGE Panel discussion

Transcription

1 Opening remarks This 2012 Environment and Security Initiative Partners Meeting will examine the link between climate change, environment and security in the pan-european region. In recent years climate change has been recognized as a core development challenge that carries potentially serious implications for international peace and security. It has moved from being just an environmental problem and an energy challenge to being a matter of economic, social and political concern. Through increasing water scarcity, climate change will impact food security and energy security. The impacts of climate change will require adaptation and early action from local to regional levels. As risk of disasters such as droughts and floods increase, resilience and preparedness become more important. The objective of the Environment and Security Initiative is to transform these risks into opportunities for cooperation in the countries of Central Asia, Eastern Europe, Southern Caucasus and South Eastern Europe. The ENVSEC Partners OSCE, UNECE, UNDP, UNEP and REC as well as NATO as an associated member - believe that environmental co-operation in parallel support to several ENVSEC Initiative activities and projects. In the regions of Central Asia, Eastern Europe, Southern Caucasus and South Eastern Europe, the impact of climate change is clear. A 2011 ENVSEC study estimated glaciers in Central Asia have shrunk by up to 30 per cent in the last 50 years. Recent floods in Eastern Europe have devastated communities. Wildfires are increasingly frequent in the

2 Southern Caucasus. In South Eastern Europe warmer temperatures and less rain mean reduced water levels for the agricultural and energy sector. An independent study prepared earlier this year on 'Advancing the security dimension of ENVSEC' suggested that in the future a key thematic focus of the ENVSEC Initiative should be the risk nexus between climate change, energy and food. Following this recommendation the ENVSEC partners have started to analyze how to best operationalize and implement this recommendation. Climate change adaptation measures can be also a factor for instability if neighboring countries do not co-ordinate efforts to protect their populations, secure food and water, and ensure that their energy demands are met. This risk of mal-adaptation is another challenge that needs to be considered in the climate change debate, and more specifically in areas where regional co-operation is not optimal. Our meeting today will provide an opportunity to exchange ideas and discuss how to promote resilience to the impacts of climate change while supporting peace and stability in the region. Today s panel discussion will highlight a number of key areas where a joint vision and action by governments, civil society, academia as well as private sector and international organizations are needed. After the panel discussion, ENVSEC will also present its approach to climate change and security and showcase some of its best practice projects. On that regard, I would like to mention that the ENVSEC initiative is working with the European Commission to finalize a project proposal to launch a

3 series of assessments of climate change and security, and develop a climate change adaptation strategy in a transboundary basin. I would also like to express our appreciation to the Austrian Development Agency which is currently considering to contribute to this process. Closing remarks Thank you for all the contributors to the discussion, which was helpful in providing some strategic vision for ENVSEC and ideas for future partnerships. The issues discussed today climate security, energy security and food security - are not developing independent from each other, but are highly interconnected. Given these interdependent challenges, an integrated approach, which addresses these multiple dimensions, is required to manage this risk nexus. A programme-based approach linking individual projects in a strategic manner must be a priority for governments and international organizations alike. Long-term commitment and strong shared vision will be required from all actors in order to design, finance and implement programmes targeted at different facets of climate security. The Environment and Security partner organizations with their specialized and complementary mandates and expertise in environment, development, economics and security are well suited to assist the governments in drawing together the disciplines required for addressing security impacts of climate change. The scale of impacts of climate change will require adaptation and early action from local to regional levels and it is on the regional level where the ENVSEC partners will seek to collaborate with the European Commission and other partners in order to align resources and efforts.

4 Panelists Dr. Romana Jordan is a politician and physicist, currently serving as Member of the European Parliament. She is a member of the Slovenian Democratic Party, which is part of the European People's Party, and sits on the European Parliament's Committee on Industry, Research and Energy. Romana Jordan is a substitute for the Committee on Environment, Public Health and Food Safety, a member of the delegation for relations with the United States, and a substitute for the delegation for relations with Turkey. Ms. Jordan holds a degree in electrical engineering, a master's degree in nuclear engineering and a Ph.D. in nuclear engineering. Source: Mr. Nick Mabey is Chief Executive and a founder director of E3G (Third Generation Environmentalism) a non-profit international organisation dedicated to accelerating the transition to sustainable development. He also leads E3G s work on European climate change policy, climate diplomacy and foreign policy, and the security implications of climate change. Mr. Mabey was previously a senior advisor in the UK Prime Minister s Strategy Unit, was employed in the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office s Environment Policy Department and was the FCO lead for the Johannesburg Summit in Mr Mabey trained as a mechanical engineer at Bristol University and holds a masters degree in Technology and Policy from MIT where he specialised in energy systems analysis. Source:

5 Panelists Mr. Michael Rühle is currently Head, Speechwriting, and Senior Political Advisor in the NATO Secretary General s Policy Planning Unit. Previously, he was Head of the Policy Planning and Speechwriting Section in NATO s Political Affairs Division. Before joining NATO's International Staff in 1991, Mr. Rühle has been a Volkswagen-Fellow at the Konrad- Adenauer-Stiftung, Sankt Augustin, Germany, and a Visiting Fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), Washington, D.C. He holds an M.A. degree in Political Science from the University of Bonn. Mr. Rühle has published widely on international security issues in, and has also co-authored a book on missile defence. Source: Dr. Antto Vihma completed his Ph.D. at the University of Helsinki, Faculty of Social Sciences, analyzing effectiveness and legitimacy of international agreements ("Soft Law, Hard Law, and the North-South Politics of Climate Change"). He currently works as a research fellow in the Global Security Research Programme at the Finnish Institute of International Affairs, conducting academic research and consulting governments and NGOs on UN climate talks. Dr. Vihma s research focuses mainly on multilateral negotiations and strategies, global climate governance, legal aspects of international agreements, North- South politics and environmental politics. His ongoing research projects are related to strengthening the UN climate negotiations, hard law and soft law in global governance. Sources: