This policy brief discusses how climate change related security challenges facing small island states have been addressed by the UN Security Council. Rising sea level poses a direct threat to their existence and intensified hurricanes resulted in chaos in the Carribean in 2017. This also has repercussions for international peace and security. Steps forward and alternatives are identified for addressing this agenda.

Prof. Ken Conca, Professor for International Relations at the American University, shares his view on the problems the UN Security Council faces in incorporating global climate-related security threats.

From the global refugee crisis to terrorism, climate change can compound conflict and insecurity drivers, whilst conflict makes coping with climate shocks ever harder. Failure to address the drivers of these conjoined risks is forging new risks and ever more complex emergencies. Against this backdrop, Ms. Vivekananda argues that a UN report on peace-building ignores climate change, and thus missing a key to a peaceful world.

This policy brief explores how climate change adaptation and peacebulding could play a role in promoting peace and preventing climate-related conflicts. For practitioners, the integration of peacebuilding and climate change adaptation still remains a challenge. To make progress, this policy brief outlines key issues that must be resolved.

Consortium partner HCSS examines the relationships between urbanization and conflict from multiple angles, based on data-driven research. Subsequently, the study considers the consequences for urban governance, and provides suggestions on how cities and national governments can improve cooperation on urban security together with other relevant stakeholders.

On 26 February 2018, the EU Foreign Affairs Council adopted conclusions on climate diplomacy. It marks the formal signaling of EU’s Foreign Ministers to make the nexus between climate and security a priority.