Event: Jumpstarting Demand for Climate Solutions – The First Movers Coalition and US National Security
On January 13, 2022, join the Center for Climate and Security as we host Jumpstarting Demand for Climate Solutions: The First Movers Coalition and US National Security, a panel discussion featuring representatives from the Department of Defense, Department of State, and industry leaders from 10-11 am EST. Click here to RSVP.
Context: In November 2021, the United States and the World Economic Forum launched the First Movers Coalition: as “a new platform for companies to harness their purchasing power and supply chains to create early markets for innovative clean energy technologies that are key for tackling the climate crisis.”
The International Energy Agency forecasts that roughly half of the emissions reductions to reach net-zero emissions by 2050 must come from technologies that are not currently ready for commercial markets. The First Movers Coalition focuses on accelerating innovation in eight sectors where these technology needs are concentrated: steel, trucking, shipping, aviation, cement, aluminum, chemicals, and direct air capture.
(more…)Mainstreaming Climate Security: The FY22 National Defense Authorization Act
By John Conger
Last week, President Biden signed the Fiscal Year 2022 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), that Congress passed with overwhelmingly bipartisan support. The bill included numerous climate security measures that echo a number of key recommendations in the Center for Climate and Security’s Climate Security Plan for America (CSPA).
Over the past several years, Congress has enacted a series of pragmatic measures on climate and security. Many of the measures have focused locally and tactically on the Defense Department’s infrastructure and resilience to extreme weather, while others have taken a wider view such as requiring a new Arctic Strategy or creating a Department of Defense Center for Arctic Security Studies. This year’s NDAA fills in the gaps between the tactical and strategic measures and codifies some provisions in President Biden’s executive orders on climate, which will help ensure they last beyond this administration.
(more…)Year in Review: The Top Climate & Security Stories of 2021
By Joon Hwang
2021 was a momentous year for climate security. From President Biden’s Executive Order on Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad, to NATO’s Climate and Security Plan of Action, to stacks of climate security reports from US federal agencies, to the increasing number of climate hazards driving security risks around the globe – the Center for Climate and Security (CCS) blog has provided context and clarity every step of the way. As we look towards a more resilient 2022, we wanted to highlight the ten most-read posts from the past year.
As the Biden administration started to pursue its focus on climate change, CCS analysis of Department of Defense climate security products were especially of interest to our readers:
(more…)Is it Time to “Climatize” the UN Security Council?
![By Patrick Gruban (originally posted to Flickr as UN Security Council)[CC-BY-SA-2.0 (www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons](https://i0.wp.com/climateandsecurity.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/united_nations_security_council.jpg?ssl=1)
By Mark Nevitt
Earlier this week, the UN Security Council failed to pass a draft resolution that would have defined climate change as a “threat to peace” within Article 39 of the UN Charter. Under international law, this critical threat to peace determination acts as a key that opens the door to supplemental legal authorities. But this resolution, co-sponsored by Ireland and Niger, was vetoed by Russia, one of the Council’s five permanent members (“P5”). By defining climate change as a threat to the peace, the Council could have sent an important signal that climate change is squarely within its ambit while setting the stage for follow-on action.
(more…)
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