14 March 2017

Planetary Security at the Munich Security Conference

With headlines about tensions in the South China Sea, immigration as the leading theme in European election campaigns, and the isolationist tendencies of the new US President, 2017 has so far continued to generate claims that global instability is on the rise. While it is easy to become overwhelmed by such headlines, it is also vital that policy practitioners consider drivers of these tensions - of which the Planetary Security Community has identified food, water, and climate change as key - in order to create effective responses. 

That is why, given the current headlines, it was compelling to prioritise the issue of climate and security at the preeminent European security meeting, the Munich Security Conference. Observers said the issue was given much more attention than in previous years. European leaders warned that climate change is a threat multiplier and increases the risk of conflicts. They also raised the need to look beyond climate change’s environmental consequences. 

The comments were made by members of a high profile panel on the 18th of february, which was opened by the UN’s top climate change official UNFCCC Executive Secretary Patricia Espinosa. She said that too often, the “story” around climate change only touches on issues such as clean technology, resources and weather. She urged participants of the conference to heighten the focus on the security implications of climate change, given its far-ranging implications for global peace and stability. Also speaking on the Panel were US Secretary of Homeland Security John Kelly, Finnish President Sauli Niinistö and Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. 

There is more attention for this topic within international fora as the links with other global security issues are becoming increasingly evident. Under the UK presidency of the UNSC, a mission to Lake Chad took place to gain a better understanding of the intersection between climate security risks and other drivers of conflict. A number of European governments including Sweden,Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Norway, the Netherlands and the UK are working to improve policy and governance of climate security. This reflects the vision outlined in last year’s EU global strategy, the G7 climate and fragility working group, and the increase in demand from people on the ground in climate stressed regions (e.g. the African Union).