2015 was a banner year for international commitments to address climate change. However, as countries take steps to implement National Adaptation Plans and cut emissions, policymakers and practitioners may find themselves grappling with the unintended consequences of climate action. How climate responses are developed and implemented could increase the vulnerability of populations and contribute to political instability.
In the wake of COP21 in Paris, the challenges of slowing climate change and responding to its impacts will be high on the agenda of foreign policy makers. What priorities should shape foreign policy action on climate issues this year and in the decade ahead? What should be the focus of European climate diplomacy?
The main aim of the high‐level conference is to discuss and reflect upon the EU Global Strategy and related strategy processes against the background of the 2030 Agenda and to identify a concrete course of action, combining perspectives from foreign and security, development, climate, environment, migration and trade policies.
The 52nd Munich Security Conference will take place from 12 to 14 February 2016. It will bring together heads of state and government, foreign and defense ministers, international and non-governmental organizations, as well as representatives of industry, media, academia, and civil society to discuss key security policy issues. Topics this year include the war in Syria, the refugee catastrophe and the crisis of the European security order.
In his speech on climate change and national security on November 10, Secretary of State John Kerry said climate change is already a “threat multiplier,” and that worse is to be expected if climate change continues unchecked. But the relationship between the environment and violent conflict is complex and often indirect.
The most important and anticipated climate change conference in years is finally underway. In some ways, as Bill McKibben and Andrew Revkin have pointed out, its success is relatively assured thanks to the number of major commitments countries have already made. But that doesn’t mean there’s nothing to see here.
Paris 2015: as climate advocate, this meant and means for me the upcoming World Climate Conference in December. And this hasn’t changed, even as a result of the horrific terror attacks last Friday in Paris. On the contrary, the outcomes of the approaching conference can make a major contribution to stomping out the breeding grounds for these kinds of attacks.
Acknowledging that climate change is a global threat to security in the 21st century, the Dutch government has convened an international conference on Planetary Security on 2-3 November 2015 in the Hague. The aim of the conference was to facilitate strategic exchange on existing foreign policy and security architecture.
In a commanding speech at Old Dominion University this week, Secretary Kerry announced a dramatic step toward integrating climate and security into U.S. foreign policy.