15 February 2019

Debating Security Plus: a global debate on the climate-security nexus

Following the Planetary Security Conference (PSC) 2019, Friends of Europe’s global online brainstorm Debating Security Plus is opening its debate on the climate-security nexus.

Debating Security Plus (DS+) is a global online brainstorm that aims to yield concrete recommendations to global security challenges. It builds on Friends of Europe’s experience with other online debates and gathers experts from around the world. For its seventh edition in 2019, DS+ will bring together a community of senior international participants from military, government and multilateral institutions, along with voices from NGOs and civil society, business and industry, the media, think tanks and academia.

There is no topic more important for our first Debating Security Plus discussion than the nexus of climate and security. We will start off our debate by meeting with a distinguished expert panel from a vast array of different backgrounds and experience.  They are: General Tom Middendorp, (ret.) Chief of Defence of the Armed forces of the Netherlands until 2017 and US Navy Rear Admiral Ann Phillips (ret.). As a lead in to our discussion we also are honoured to have a video message from Leona Marlin Romeo, Prime Minister of St Maartin.

As climate change accelerates, its impact on human security is becoming increasingly visible. Migration, water and food scarcity, and rivalries over control of key resources could be the main drivers of conflict and international competition in the 21st century. When the World Economic Forum recently met in Davos and published its annual survey of global challenges, climate change topped the list.

Unfortunately, there is still an alarming disconnect between the urgency highlighted in scientific reports and the political capital spent on climate change and resource scarcity. On a brighter note, intelligence agencies and the military are increasingly factoring in climate-driven scenarios into their forecasting and planning.

Indeed, many of the world’s poorer and more fragile countries are at risk of extreme social stress, and rapidly exporting their instabilities to their neighbours and beyond. In this respect, understanding how different aspects of climate change, social breakdown and conflict create a mutually reinforcing loop is a most urgent priority for all security practitioners.

You can request to join the community of global security experts here.

 

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