COP24 Katowice plenary session, Photo by Doman84
On 13 December, at the COP24 in Katowice, Poland, the European External Action Service, in partnership with The Center for Climate and Security and the World Resources Institute (WRI), will hold a side event outlining new tools for anticipating climate security crises and practical institutional frameworks for using foresight to manage climate security risks.
Experts will outline examples of how big data and integrated scenario-development could help predict where (inter)national security is at risk, through an early warning system being developed within WRI’s Resource Watch Platform as part of the Water, Peace and Security Partnership, and how governments and security institutions can use this information to avert potential crises, referencing the Responsibility to Prepare framework for preventing and responding to conflicts.
Panelists include members of the security community and Ministers from Pacific small island developing states, European and African (TBC) governments:
- Former Netherlands Chief of Defense Gen. Tom Middendorp, who opened the 2016 Planetary Security Conference, will discuss the nature of climate-related threats to peace and stability and how the security community can effectively assess and communicate these threats.
- Swedish Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for International Development Cooperation and Climate, Isabella Lövin, will speak to efforts at the UN Security Council to create an institutional home for climate security.
- David Paul, Minister-in-Assistance to the President and Environment Minister of the Republic of the Marshall Islands, will address the pace of uptake of data-driven solutions for climate preparedness.
Mr. Manish Bapna, WRI Executive Vice President and Managing Director, and Shiloh Fetzek, Senior Fellow at The Center for Climate and Security, will also present.
This interactive session will poll the audience throughout the panel discussion and invite questions and input through the Mentimeter app.
Time: 12:00-13:30
Location: EU Pavilion Vienna Room
Moderator: Camilla Born, E3G
Follow The Center for Climate and Security and World Resources Institute on Twitter for ongoing updates.
Additional Climate and Security Side Events at the COP24
PSI at COP24 Katowice: Climate, Peace and Security: Progress toward a Preventive Diplomacy
On 13 December, the European External Action Service, in partnership with adelphi and the Planetary Security Initiative, will host a side-event at COP24 aimed at tracking international progress in addressing climate-related security risks, as well as raising awareness on climate security among the COP community.
This side event will take stock of progress made at the international level in addressing climate-related security risks in light of the conclusions from the high level event ‘Climate, Peace and Security: The Time for Action’, convened by High Representative Federica Mogherini on 22 June 2018.
The sessions aims at raising awareness among the COP community on climate-related security risks and foster a debate on the respective roles of the climate, development and security communities in assessing, avoiding and addressing climate-related risks.
The following questions and developments will be in focus:
- Focus on conflict prevention: beyond what level of climate change might the security community no longer be able to reasonably guarantee international peace and security?
- The renewed momentum on climate-related security risks at the regional and global levels: illustrations from the EU and UN levels, including in the context of the UN Security Council
- From global to local: integrated climate-fragility risk assessment and action on the ground.
- Building a community of practice: tools for capacity building, experience from the Planetary Security initiative.
Speakers
- Christian Leffler and Dominic Porter (TBC) – European External Action Service
- Michaela Späth (TBC) – German Federal Foreign Office
- Arne Lietz – European Parliament
- Chitra Nagarajan (TBC) – Conflict Advisor, Lake Chad Region
- Asif Zaidi – UN Environment
Time: 13 December 2018 from 10:30-12:00.
Moderation: Dennis Tänzler – adelphi.
Location: EU Pavilion, Room Vienna.
Follow adelphi and Climate Diplomacy on Twitter for ongoing updates.
COP24 Side-Event: Building new alliances around climate and security: Germany’s initiative for the UN Security Council
The German Federal Foreign Office, in partnership with adelphi, will host a side-event to look into the security risks brought about by climate change, the roles that can be taken up by UN bodies and the distinct vulnerability of Small Island Developing States to climate-security risks.
German Pavilion, COP24 Venue
Climate change is a growing threat to international peace and security. The rise of extreme weather events, droughts, and water scarcity, often in areas with transboundary waters, can aggravate already fragile situations and amplify conflicts. Rising sea levels can endanger the existence of whole nations.
Yet while climate change is increasingly shaping the international security landscape, the international community is still often lacking the tools for systematically analyzing the security implications of climate change in specific regions, as well as a clear vision as to what roles different parts of the UN can and should play in building resilience against these impacts. Critical questions include:
- How can we improve our early warning capacities when it comes to climate-related security risks? What information needs to reach whom to ensure that early warning results in appropriate action? What capacities are needed where to facilitate improved decision-making?
- What actions can the international community undertake to help states improve their resilience against the destabilizing effects of climate change? What are promising examples to build on? What roles should different institutions play? How can the UN Security Council in particular best discharge its responsibility for international peace and security?
- How can the climate-security agenda help us to strengthen existing and to forge new alliances that can support ambition in the implementation of the Paris agreement?
The panel will specifically focus on the situation of Small Island Developing States which are particularly vulnerable to climate-security risks.
Germany is committed to advancing the climate-security agenda during its membership in the UN Security Council in 2019 and 2020. With Nauru as co-chair Germany launched a Group of Friends on Climate and Security on 1 August 2018. The initiative is being supported by an international expert network.
The event will take place on 14 December 2018 from 12:00-13:30.
Light lunch and drinks will be served.
Speakers
- Marlene Moses – Permanent Representative of Nauru to the United Nations
- Michaela Späth – Director for Energy and Climate Policy, Economic Affairs and Human Rights, International Labour Rights and Issues, Federal Foreign Office
- Inger Buxton – Deputy Head of the Department of Global Agenda at the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs
Moderation: Camilla Born – Senior Policy Advisor, E3G
Follow adelphi and Climate Diplomacy on Twitter for ongoing updates.
Conflict and shocks: how can we build resilience in the face of increasing fragility and vulnerability to conflict in a way that promotes stability and peace?
Saturday, 8 December 11:30-13:00 Salon Room (at Hotel Diament Arsenal)
Global Resilience Partnership is co-organizing a session during the Development & Climate Days on peace and stability with Wetlands International and the Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre. The session is titled: Conflict and shocks: how can we build resilience in the face of increasing fragility and vulnerability to conflict in a way that promotes stability and peace? The session is designed around panel discussions and will include an interactive voting element with the audience. The panel of speakers includes experts from Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, WWF France, Overseas Development Institute, French Military Academy, and Wetlands International.
Panelists:
- Florian Krampe, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute
- Marine Braud, WWF France
- Karounga Keita, Wetlands International, Mali
- Katie Peters, Overseas Development Institute
- Lieutenant-Colonel Cyril Arnaud, Ecole de Guerre
- Alima Arbudu, International Committee of the Red Cross
Moderation: Deon Nel, Global Resilience Partnership
