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EVENT: Ticking Clock-The Intersection of Climate & Security
The French Institute for International and Strategic Affairs (IRIS) and the Center for Climate and Security (CCS) with the support of the US Embassy in France, are pleased to invite you to the webconference Ticking Clock: The Intersection of Climate and Security, on 14 September 2021, 6:30 PM CEST/12:30 PM ET.
Introductory Remarks: Elizabeth Martin-Shukrun, Cultural Advisor at the US Embassy in France
Speakers:
Adrien Esteve, Postdoctoral Researcher at Sciences Po, Center for International Studies (CERI)
Kate Guy, Senior Research Fellow at CCS & Deputy Director of the International Military Council on Climate and Security
Erin Sikorsky, Director of CCS & International Military Council on Climate and Security
Julia Tasse, Head of the Climate and Energy Program at IRIS
Chair: Sofia Kabbej, Research Fellow on Climate, Security & Geoengineering at IRIS
Balancing on a Knife’s Edge: Climate Security Implications of the IPCC Findings
By Akash Ramnath and Kate Guy
New scientific consensus released today details the potential future course of climate change, with serious repercussions for international security and stability. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released the first product of its Sixth Assessment Report (AR6), summarizing the latest scientific understanding on the state of global climate change. This report, completed by the IPCC Working Group I (WGI), offers the best collective picture of how human caused climate change is impacting the physical systems of the planet now and in the future.
The report makes clear that our planet’s climatic systems are changing rapidly in response to the accumulation of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. By 2100, global average temperatures are expected to rise between 2.1-3.5°C in an intermediate scenario, or 3.3-5.7°C in a high emissions scenario, if humans do not curb and continue expanding greenhouse gas emitting activities. The path to keeping global temperatures to just 1.5°C of warming, the report states, looks increasingly narrow; while every additional fraction of a degree in planetary warming will have worsening impacts on climate stability.
The findings of the WGI report have two important implications for security audiences: First, cutting emissions and adapting to climate impacts are equally important for security in the coming years; second, that the increasing risk of crossing climate tipping points suggests security services must prepare for managing multiple climate-induced crises at once.
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