The 21st century will experience a considerable number of conflicts closely interlinked with climate change. This became clear during the conference on "Conflict Prevention and Climate Change" that took place in Brussels on 24 April. According to those presenting, the consequences of climate change will affect all parts of the world. With the conference the Madariaga Foundation started a two-year project on applied conflict prevention, which relates to the report on "Climate Change and International Security", presented by Javier Solana, high representative of the EU and the European Commission a month before (see ECC Newsletter from April 2008).



Even though the direct implications of climate change on conflict are still partly unclear, the conference’s main objective was to establish a policy dialogue on climate change and security within the EU. In this regard it was highly successful. A great number of government officials, the United Nations, World Bank, EU, OSCE, OECD and the League of Arab Nations as well as the OAS participated in the conference. This broad attendance highlights a growing awareness among countries and international organizations about the security implications of climate change.



However, it also became clear that when it comes to concrete action, many questions remain unaddressed. The funding of necessary adaptation measures in particular, is becoming increasingly important. To this end, several approaches have been brought into the discussions by the World Bank. At the same time, the states that are most affected by climate change possess little capacity to even assess potential risks adequately. Against this background, the exchange of information on concrete activities regarding climate change and security in Africa is highly necessary. However, as most states and organizations are still in the process of formulating concrete policies, outcomes remain minor. Therefore continuing this policy dialogue in the coming year is important. (Achim Maas)



Comprehensive information on the conference will soon be available at http://www.madariaga.org/template_news.asp?nws_id=60

Published in: ECC-Newsletter, June 2008