Security and development policy
Climate change, security and sustainable development
How will climate change impact international security and sustainable development?: a conference report
Authors:
N. Frankcom (ed); Civitatis International
Publisher:
Institute for Environmental Security, 2008
This paper documents the conference entitled “From Bali to Poznan: New Issues, New Challenges”. Convened by the Institute of Environmental Security on the 18 December 2007 and held at the European Parliament in Brussels, the conference discussed the impact of climate change on international security and sustainable development.
The conference included briefings on the results of the United Nations Climate Change Conference (UNCCC) which was held in Bali, Indonesia, from the 3rd to the 14th of December 2007 and enabled participants to discuss issues to be of concern to the international community during the coming year in the lead up to the next UNCCC in Poznan on the 1st -12th of December 2008.
In particular, the Brussels conference included presentations and debate on:
- The implications of climate change for international security
- Escaping from fossil fuels: The solar alternative
- The impact on environment, security and development of illegal trade in natural resources
- Climate Change and the formation of European foreign policy
Broadly, it is argued that it is vital to frame the climate change debate within a security framework and eliminate the barrier between environmental, economic and social issues on the one side, and peace, security and conflict prevention on the other. This requires reorganisation at the regulatory and policy level of the state, of the integrated and integrating regions and of the planet, and most importantly the synthesis of climate change and security within foreign policy.
It is asserted that the military has a central role to play in conflict prevention, border disputes and humanitarian efforts linked to climate change. The military is also a significant political lobby in most countries, particularly the USA, and could do more to alert its governments to the security implications of climate change. To do this, the paper concludes, agreement on how global insecurity is accentuated by climate change is vital, along with a clear agenda on how this may be tackled.
