As the need to address climate-related risks gains traction, this month’s issue of the European Security and Defence Union journal covers various angles of this issue in an extensive special issue. Several articles cover specific spotlight regions and subtopics. Among the prominent initiatives, both the EU high level meeting “Climate, Peace and Security: The Time for Action” and forthcoming Planetary Security Conference 2019 are highlighted.
Enveloping issues of climate change, security and development the Planetary Security Initiative is covered with an longer interview with Dr. Louise van Schaik speaking on reducing impacts emanating from environmental stresses and why the Netherlands has launched this initiative. The objectives of The Hague Declaration on Planetary Security are explicitly mentioned.
The role of climate change and how it exacerbates conflict and crisis in the Lake Chad region is illustrated in an article by PSI consortium expert Janani Vivekananda of adelphi. The piece explores how climate change acts as a risk multiplier in one of today’s largest humanitarian crisis; it suggests reintegration and resettlement programmes with a clear focus on livelihoods while recognising that climate-fragility risk assessment is just a first step.
The need to consider climate related security risks through space technologies is argued for by Sinead O’Sullivan, from the Center for Climate and Security, a consortium partner of PSI. Other intriguing articles feature the violent extremism and water, and military strategies enveloped in climate change. Europe’s transition to a low carbon society, adaptation of energy solutions and the energy providers commitment to climate protection is also pronounced, which closely ties into one of 2019 PSC Conference’s theme: Geopolitics of Energy Transition.
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