That climate change also has an impact on international security is no hypothetical scenario for a faraway future. The last Worldwide Threat Assessment of the US Intelligence Community (January 2019) has stated that this year could already experience threats to international security as consequences of climate change. Such a statement is striking, all the more because it appears in a report written for the US Senate, where – as we know – many climate sceptics sit.
This report refers to the fact that extreme weather events can affect urban coastal areas in South Asia and the Western Hemisphere. Countries with poor political structures would also be highly vulnerable to heat waves, droughts and floods, with – as a possible consequence – water and food insecurity, as well as an increased risk of social unrest, new migratory flows and interstate tension involving countries such as Egypt, Ethiopia, Iraq and Jordan. The diminishing Arctic sea ice may once again lead to a competition over access to new sea routes between countries such as Russia and China.
Many studies and statements (from the EU and the UN, for instance) suggest that climate change is best viewed as a threat multiplier that increases or intensifies the already existing threats and security challenges, accentuating the level of instability in certain states or regions.
Professor Michael Brzoska from the University of Hamburg is an international authority in this field. He will further elaborate on both current and future impacts of climate change on international security
This conference will take place on Thursday 13 June 2019 at 17:00 hours in the conference centre of the Campus Renaissance (entrance: rue Hobbema 8, 1000 Brussels). The lecture will be given in English with simultaneous translation into Dutch and French. Parking is available on the Cinquantenaire esplanade in front of the Royal Museum of the Armed Forces and Military History. We are looking forward to welcoming you and kindly ask you to confirm your participation by registering online on the RHID’s website: www.rhid.be.
Pre-registration is mandatory to access the premises and must reach us not later than Friday 7 June 2019.
Programme:
16:30 : Registration
17:00 : Conference and Q & A
18:30 - 19:30 : Reception