Climate Change

International Alert convenes an expert roundtable, Building resilience – building peace, in Kathmandu on Monday 8 July. It’s the culmination of two and half years of research on the impact of climate change on local communities in Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Pakistan. I can’t be there, so we recorded four minutes to camera as my contribution to the day's events.

This report examines how forestry projects under the Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD+) initiative affect pre-existing structures of power, economy, fairness, safety and wellbeing in Brazil, Indonesia and Uganda, and how they may exacerbate pre-existing conflicts over land and resources. The report also looks at how REDD+ funds could provide the opportunity to diversify livelihoods, encourage sustainable development and enhance the adaptive capacity of local populations in the face of a changing climate.

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Last month saw delegates from around the world assemble in Doha for the 18th Conference of the Parties (COP18) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in an effort to inch towards a global deal on climate change. Yet discussions on how much financing should be provided and by whom didn’t reach satisfying conclusions, despite a week’s worth of negotiations.

This summary report is based on a research project in collaboration with the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research and the School of International Development at the University of East Anglia. The research analyses the links between environmental stress, climate change, human security, conflict and adaptation at different scales and localities along the Niger River. Drawing on the study’s findings, this report offers key policy guidelines for resilience building, adaptation and reducing conflict.

Report summary

This report is based on a research project in collaboration with the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research and the School of International Development at the University of East Anglia. The research analyses the links between environmental stress, climate change, human security, conflict and adaptation at different scales and localities along the Niger River.

Full report

The South Asia Network of Climate Change and Security, having met in Male’ on the 1st of December 2011 to discuss opportunities and challenges related to climate change and security in South Asia, offer the following views to the Parties and Governments of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

library: 

SANSaC Male' Statement to CoP17.pdf

The South Asia Network of Climate Change and Security, having met in Male’ on the 1st of December 2011 to discuss opportunities and challenges related to climate change and security in South Asia, offer the following views to the Parties and Governments of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

library: 

SANSaC Male' Statement to CoP17.pdf

International Alert's Climate Change and Conflict Adviser, Janani Vivekananda, speaks about climate change and stability in conflict-affected and fragile states at the Woodrow Wilson Center.

Vidéo: 

Alert recently convened a meeting of security experts to look at the likelihood of increased conflict arising from changes to our climate already underway. The newswire Reuters Foundation AlertNet has reported the story here, or you can read the article below:

This paper is a collection of reflections from a field visit to three districts in the middle hills and Terai belt of eastern Nepal (Sunsari, Dhankuta and Morang) which set out to explore the various dimensions of the resilience of climate-affected communities. By sharing the perceptions and insights of community members from these districts, this paper aims to shed light on the complexities of these particular local contexts and flag some of the specific challenges of responding to climate change in fragile and conflict-affected contexts such as Nepal.

Full report