The following text is a summary of a press release by Oxfam International on 5 December 2023. Read the full document here.

With the conclusion of COP28, renowned author and former Chief of Defence of the Dutch Armed Forces, General Tom Middendorp, is releasing a groundbreaking new book The Climate General, shedding light on the profound connection between climate change and global security:

Recent advances in artificial intelligence (AI)—largely based on machine learning— offer possibilities for addressing climate-related security risks.

A new book edited by Timothy Clack, Ziya Meral, Louise Selisny gathers contributions from a number of experts on the relationship between climate change, conflict and (in)security. A description of the publication, provided by Routledge on their website is placed below. 

This book offers a multidisciplinary exploration of how climate change is impacting conflicts, contention, and competition in the world.

Past Sunday, 3 December, marked the Climate, Health, Recovery and Peace Day at COP28 where the UAE secretariat launched a declaration calling for:

The Philippines is facing a range of climate and environmental risks that directly affect human security. Climate change is intensifying existing disaster risks in an active geological region known as the Pacific Ring of Fire, causing volcano eruptions, tsunamis and earthquakes, and the region faces other disaster risks, including typhoons and tropical storms, floods, droughts and landslides. At the same time, the urban areas and settlements in the Philippines are located in such a way that ca. 74% of its population is exposed to these different kinds of hazards.

Last week, the Iraqi NGO Ozon organised with PSI a get-together in the context of its Basra Forum for Climate, Environment and Security (BF). The meeting took place in Basra, Iraq and brought together approximately 40 participants from diverse backgrounds, including academics, policy-makers, civil society, environmental activists, and representatives from governmental institutions. It served as a platform to exchange and gather on-the-ground insights from the Basra region.

The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region is home to over sixteen million refugees and internally displaced persons due to decades of conflict and instability, and the United Nations estimates that over seventy million people in the region need humanitarian assistance. At the same time, it is one of the most vulnerable places in the world to the deleterious effects of climate change; the region has seen 0.2°C (0.36°F) of warming between 1961 and 1990, and the rate of warming is intensifying.

Ahead of COP28, this joint paper from the Centre on Armed Groups and ODI examines the failure the address climate adaptation in conflict areas and areas beyond state control. The current climate adaptation paradigm focuses overwhelmingly on states, neglecting conflict areas, which are among the worst impacted by climate change and the least prepared to adapt. The paper explores what is driving the conflict climate gap and examines the opportunities and challenges for climate adaptation in conflict affected and non-state-controlled areas.

This Thursday, 30 November, the 28th United Nations Conference of Parties on Climate Change (COP) will kick off in Dubai. The annual world summit serves as a meeting point for states, regional organisations, and non-state actors to discuss action in dealing with climate change and environmental loss. The ambition is to reduce human interference with the climate system.