If you are in the Washington, DC area this Wednesday, October 8th, you may be interested in attending the Second Al-Moumin Lecture on Environmental Peacebuilding.
Here is the description of the event:
Professor Jon Barnett will deliver the Second Annual Al-Moumin Distinguished Lecture on Environmental Peacebuilding, on the topic “Climate Change and Security: From Vicious to Virtuous Cycles.” There is pessimism about the effects of climate change on security. The dominant understanding is one of climate change amplifying insecurities through a range of pathways, with negative feedbacks in social and environmental systems causing a spiralling of violence in vulnerable regions, and a more dangerous international security environment. This vision of the future is a mix of imagination and evidence; and. By the same token, there are equally valid reasons to imagine a future in which, despite climate change, the world becomes more peaceful and prosperous. This lecture examines the evidence regarding climate change and security. It argues that while there is some evidence to support the dominant understanding of climate change as a risk to security, there is also evidence to suppose that these risks can be managed. It then reassembles the evidence into a different future, in which careful actions can promote human, national, and climate security.
Jon Barnett is a Professor of Resource Management and Geography at Melbourne University; a Lead Author for the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change; and co-editor of Global Environmental Change.
For full details, and to register for the event, see the Environmental Peacebuilding announcement.
It is a pity that the Washington, DC, is very far from me. It would be very useful to listen to the lecture by the representative of Australia. You could see how far Australians, solving the problem of stabilization of the climate in their region. The fact that I temporarily stopped the work on the development of technologies to stabilize the climate in the Pacific, especially in the South-Western part. I just don’t have the strength to gather the necessary baseline data, as in this part of the Earth too many factors that affect climate change. I liked the statement: “… there is also evidence to suppose that these risks can be managed.” I fully support working in this direction. However, I can not recognize the truth of this statement: “… there are equally valid reasons to imagine a future in which, despite climate change, the world becomes more peaceful and prosperous.” In my opinion, all is on the contrary. Good luck to the speaker – Jon Barnett – into useful work.