Somalia has in recent years been ravaged by the effects of a multi-year drought driving food insecurity and conflict across the Horn of Africa and pushing millions to migrate to urban settings in search of food and safety. PSI recently sat down with the Climate and Environment Advisor for the UN in Somalia, Christophe Hodder. We asked him about his work and the environmental challenges that Somalia will face in the coming years.
Since 2010, there has been a shift in the Swedish armed forces' (SAF) perception on Climate change. A recent study, based on a qualitative analysis of official documents, publications, and public statements, suggests that climate change is becoming institutionalized in the SAF. According to the researcher, Rickard Söder, climate change has not been a dominant issue for the SAF before. However, it has been conceptualized differently in recent years, and mentioned increasingly in strategic documents and statements by senior officials.
''It is crucial that we put an immediate end to the war and prioritize environmental rehabilitation as an integral part of peace-making initiatives''
Forum Leaders, through the Boe Declaration, have defined climate change as “the single greatest threat to the livelihoods, security and well-being of the peoples of the Pacific”.
The United Nations representatives who took the microphone in Baghdad in early June 2023 to talk about Iraq’s current drought had little reason to be optimistic.
Cities increasingly bear the brunt of climate-induced migration, particularly in conflict-affected countries. Armed conflict and the climate crisis interact in complex and reinforcing ways to undermine human security, leading to increasing trends in rural-to-urban migration and the rapid growth of informal or peri-urban settlements in many low- and middle-income countries. In the 25 years leading up to 2015, the population living in informal areas increased by 28 percent according to UN-Habitat.
Climate change and its impacts create severe risks for food systems and human security more broadly, making peaceful coexistence between people and communities harder to maintain or achieve. Both slow onset changes such as temperature rise and increased variability in precipitation patterns, as well as fast onset events such as extreme weather events can severely affect people’s livelihoods and food security, especially in contexts that are already fragile. These cascading effects can then contribute to socioeconomic and political instability, increasing the risk of violent conflict.
This report is based on direct testimonies from agropastoralists living in borderland regions of Africa. The evidence has been collected objectively and systematically to allow the research participants to explain how they live their lives, to describe the vulnerabilities they face, showcase the sources of their resilience and, crucially, to highlight how they overcome the challenges of living in the borderlands.
This article discusses the aftermath of the Nova Kakhovka Dam collapse in Ukraine. The dam is the most downstream in a series of six, forming the largest reservoir in Europe. Its collapse resulted in significant flooding, widespread damage, and casualties. This article explores the consequences of its destruction, such as increased downstream flood risk, implications for agricultural activity, and the potential for pollution in the Black Sea. The article emphasizes the need for ongoing investigation and informed actions to manage these diverse impacts.
During the NATO summit in Vilnius on the 11th and 12th July, NATO Leaders discussed critical challenges in enhancing NATO’s deterrence and defence and fostering closer ties between NATO and Ukraine. An important topic on the agenda of the NATO summit was broader security challenges, including climate security. In parallel to the summit, NATO Public Forum organised a High-Level Dialogue on Climate titled “The Urgency of Now: Collaborating for Climate Action”.
