International Alert, together with the Bangladesh Institute for Peace and Security Studies (BIPSS) and the Regional Centre for Security Studies and the Peacebuilding and Development Institute in Sri Lanka, co-hosted an expert roundtable on the Security Implications of Climate Change in South Asia in Dhaka, Bangladesh on 29th-30th March 2010.
The two-day event brought together experts from Bangladesh, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka for an important regional exchange on issues related to climate change and security. International Alert’s recent work on climate change, fragility and conflict has shown that the security implications of climate change are a very real but relatively unexplored issue worldwide and in this region. This event marked the start of a significant process, creating a space for a critical discussion on the interlinkages between climate change and conflict in South Asia.
Participants discussed the various and interconnected ways in which climate change is affecting fragile communities in the region. Case studies from the experts offered insights from each country – from the impacts of climate-related changes on rice and wheat yields, and thence on health and livelihoods in Bangladesh, to tensions arising from dam construction diverting water between upstream industry and downstream agricultural users in the Sindh province of Pakistan, to disputes over access to ground water in rural communities in India.
In many of these communities, the failure of governance structures to address risks such as food shortages and reduced access to drinking water erodes peoples’ trust in their governments. In certain contexts, this mistrust and diminished support can lead to an increased risk of political instability and violent conflict. The case studies showed how the impacts of climate change increase the risk of armed conflict in the poorest and least well-governed countries. At the same time, the shadow of conflict and the background condition of state fragility make it harder for communities to deal with the impact of climate change.
The two-day meeting underlined the fact that these inter-related problems demand inter-related solutions. The triangle of climate change, conflict and fragility needs to be addressed by a unified approach – building resilience.
This approach can be operationalised by taking forward five policy objectives:
- Adaptation to climate change needs to be conflict-sensitive. In fragile contexts, all interventions must respond to the needs of the people, involve them in consultation, take account of power distribution and social order, and avoid pitting groups against each other.
- Development needs to be climate-proof.
- Shifts towards low-carbon economies must be supportive of development and peace.
- Steps must be taken to strengthen social capacity to understand and manage climate and conflict risks. This means communicating the knowledge available on the issue in an open and honest manner to enable understanding, awareness and response.
- Greater efforts are needed to support regional responses to these regional challenges.
Acknowledging the importance of addressing climate and security in the region, the participants of the expert workshop initiated the South Asia Network on Security and Climate Change (SANSaC) – the first network to address this dual problem and its interlinked solutions in South Asia.
The SANSaC network will share a communiqué from the roundtable with the Heads of Governments at the next meeting of the SAARC in Bhutan. The group intends to meet in the future to advance the dialogue on the key themes emerging from this event, including promoting regional approaches, institutional reform and building stronger relationships between the state and the citizens.