There is increasing evidence that climate change is undermining livelihoods, food and water security in rural and urban areas around the world, thereby acting as a “threat multiplier” in fragile and conflict-prone situations. In light of this, the first Berlin Climate and Security Conference, which took place at the German Federal Foreign Office on 4 June 2019, aimed at increasing the momentum for decisive action to address climate-related drivers of conflict.
Hosted by the German Federal Foreign Office in partnership with adelphi and the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK), the conference was a clarion call to every foreign policy institution to step up efforts to address one of the greatest global security and foreign policy challenges of the 21st century.
The outcome document, the Berlin Call for Action, sets out three concrete areas to tackle the risks posed by climate change to peace and security:
- Risk-informed planning for the UN system, multilateral institutions, states and other relevant actors to better deal with climate-security risks.
- Enhanced capacity for action within the UN's Climate and Security Mechanism as well as other international and regional organisations and finance institutions.
- Improving operational response to address climate-security risks, including early warning, mediation and peace support operations.
