International Alert and the South Asia Network on Security and Climate Change (SANSaC) hosted a Regional Expert Meeting: ‘Understanding Complexity, Building Resilience’ in Kathmandu, Nepal on 8 July 2013. Dr Arvind Kumar, President, India Water Foundation, New Delhi, also participated in this meeting.
The avowed objective of this meeting was to discuss the complex interactions between climate change, development and security and to explore opportunities to promote peace-positive responses to climate change. The roundtable agenda focused on two deficiencies that hamper effective responses to the double-headed threat of climate change and security:
- Gaps in knowledge about the social, political and security impacts of climate change in South Asia.
- Weak capacity among government and intergovernmental institutions to address these issues.
The roundtable was opened by a keynote welcome from Dan Smith, Secretary General of International Alert. In his introduction, Dan Smith emphasized the importance of thinking about the impact of climate change on four critical systems – supply of water, food security, energy availability and natural resources.
The first session of the roundtable focused on understanding the complex ways in which climate change interacts with existing challenges to sustainable development and peace in South Asia. The participants discussed:
- The politics of cross-boundary water sharing in light of climate-induced increased water stresses and the importance of adopting a regional approach;
- The increased patterns of migration, both internally within a country and regionally across countries as a result of environmental change and the need for migration to be more comprehensively considered in climate change plans and policies.
Second Session of the roundtable explored the peacebuilding potential of effective adaptation to climate and environmental change. Three themes emerged from the discussion:
- There is still a weak understanding of the relationship between vulnerability to climate change and to conflict and therefore this knowledge gap and evidence base needs to be further strengthened.
- Supporting adaptation and resilience cannot be targeted on specific actions responding to specific threats.
- Climate change can offer a political space where other stakeholders can come together to not only discuss problems but also talk through solutions on issues related to food, water, land and other natural resources that are potential areas for conflict
Participants identified the following themes, through lively debate and discussion, as playing a key role in addressing climate-security links:
- Governance;
- Collaboration with the Media;
- Role of the Middle class;
- Cross-boundary water sharing; and
- Involvement of other key stakeholder groups.
Following key areas were identified by participants to frame the argument for action on risks linked to climate change and security:
- Governance—Understanding and factoring in governance into climate change adaptation policy and practice is a priority. Governance within South Asian countries is a key area for action, given that government departments and institutions continue to work in silos. There is also limited capacity for coordinated action at the local level. Capacity-building for better communication and cooperation among government and inter-governmental institutions is, therefore, important to strenthen responses to climate change and security.
- More research and dissemination – There is wide consensus that there remain significant gaps in knowledge about the social, political and security impacts of climate change in South Asia – especially at the local and subnational levels, and around areas where progress is being made. Knowledge generation and evidence on the links between climate change and security is therefore still relevant and essential for those working in the areas of climate change and security. More emphasis needs to be laid on the mechanisms by which research findings are communicated and disseminated.
- Incentives for political will and cooperation – Political interests in South Asia are predominantly sovereign rather than regional. However, the nation-state is not the appropriate way to tackle climate change, especially in light of the conflict potential of shared regional resources such as water. Political will that considers these regional security issues is therefore necessary for effective action.
