In preparation for the UN Climate Conference COP17 in December, the African Centre for the Constructive Resolution of Disputes (ACCORD) in Durban, South Africa held a two-day expert seminar on 15 & 16 September, to identify issues and recommendations for ensuring that adaptation to climate change is conflict-sensitive. Policy makers, practitioners and scientists presented new research on the linkages between climate change and conflict in Africa, and analysed various tools, policies and approaches to ensure the prevention of conflicts arising from not only climate change but also from adaptation efforts.

A key issue that emerged from the seminar is the way livelihoods and the management of natural resources in Africa are linked. For climate adaptation projects to strengthen communities, vulnerable groups (such as women) and countries against climate change, the way people make their living and get their food needs to be protected and strengthened. An important way to do that is to improve natural resource management by adapting practices for managing resources (such as land, water and coastal regions) and to introduce new, sustainable ways for people to make a living. For instance, in order to prevent conflict, natural resource management cannot be a top-down approach, but will need to include and consult with communities. There is also a wealth of traditional knowledge about the management of resources and conflicts at a community level. In Africa, where people have adapted to climate changes for thousands of years, this knowledge and experience needs to be captured to improve the management of resources and conflicts and to feed into early-warning systems.

As the discussions during the seminar indicated, conflict-sensitive climate change adaptation is at the core of existing and future work in the fields of development, the environment and peace. Given that the linkages between climate change and conflict are complex, and operate at different scales across time and space, it is clear that there is a need for different scientific disciplines to work together on research. This should also include local knowledge from communities who have already shown resilience. It is also clear that policy makers across different ministries, and even between countries and regions need to work together, to develop plans for adaptation that are conflict-sensitive. Funding and practical work in development, the environment and peacebuilding cannot operate in silos as these fields are already highly interconnected, and need to become even more so, if we are to prevent conflicts resulting from climate change or adaptation. Funding for climate change adaptation should be at the core of the environment-development-peace triangle, where issues of livelihoods, conflict resolution, natural resource management, human rights and gender are situated. (Salomé Bronkhorst, ACCORD)

For the original report in full length, please see here.

For the report “Climate Change and the Risk of Violent Conflicts in Southern Africa” by Uppsala University, please see http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-154049

For queries, contact Salome Bronkhorst, Senior Researcher: salome(at)accord.org.za

Published in: ECC-Newsletter, 5/2011