For humanitarian actors, the compounding impacts of environmental degradation and climate change on all aspects of human security are starkly visible in the needs of the populations they serve. In the Near and Middle East, the consequences of armed conflict are exacerbating these impacts, with severe repercussions on health, safety and well-being. As climate change intensifies, its impacts will also intensify, which, in turn, will further exacerbate humanitarian needs.
The new summary report on ‘Climate Security Scenarios in the Balkans’ examines climate security futures for the Western Balkans region and identifies entry points for anticipatory action on climate resilience for NATO and the EU. The findings of the paper are based on an interactive scenario exercise held at the Berlin Climate and Security Conference 2022.
Sierra Leone is facing a range of climate and environmental risks that directly affect human security. Human activities, including environmental crime, are further undermining protective ecosystem services and destroying carbon sinks, contributing to the cycle of degradation and accelerating the effects of climate change.
This SIPRI Policy Report compares responses to climate-related security risks by the European Union (EU), the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE)—the three main intergovernmental regional organizations involved in addressing security in Europe and beyond. All three have formulated ambitious policies in the area of climate security in recent years.
Latin America is experiencing a confluence of insecurity and migration challenges that are increasingly intertwined with climate change. High levels of ethnic, gender, and socioeconomic inequality are ubiquitous, and populism and authoritarianism are gaining traction. In the Central American countries of El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras, in particular, chronic conflict, violence, and weak governance are key constructs undermining human security.
This study explores entry points for WFP to, in addition to its core humanitarian mandate as a first responder, contribute to building climate-resilient food systems and sustainable peace in the West Nile sub-region of Uganda.
How to respond to anticipated climate change is a defining challenge across nearly every field and scope of human activity. Peacebuilding is no exception. While many have identified ways that climate change or environmental degradation might affect peace and security concerns, how to best respond to these so-called ‘climate-security’ challenges is still an emerging area of practice within the peacebuilding field.
The Horn of Africa has seen its fair share of catastrophes, from natural calamities to man-made crises. The region is considered one of the world’s most fragile, tumultuous, and impoverished regions. Its nations are among the most vulnerable and ill-equipped to deal with climate change threats and shocks. The past 40 years have seen the Horn of Africa battered repeatedly by droughts, famine, and the resulting epidemics.
On February 9th, the Geological Survey of India announced it had discovered 5.9 million tons of lithium, a metal in high demand for electric vehicle batteries and other low-carbon energy technologies. Though the findings are preliminary, if borne out, the discovery would put India among the world’s top holders of lithium, with significant implications for India’s own electric vehicle (EV) deployment, environmental management, and energy independence.
The increasing pressure of ecological disruption on people and on security means that ideas and policy on peace and security must increasingly address the need for ecological security.
