Berlin, 19th July 2008
Sustainability & Security: Human security within climate change regime Nidhi Srivastava, Resources and Global Security Division The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) New Delhi, India
“Reconciling Human Existence and Ecological Integrity� Global Ecological Integrity Group Electronic copy available at: http://ssrn.com/abstract=1121667
Presentation outline
Security: Conceptual framework Territorial to human Defensive to integrative
Climate change and security
Climate change, security and the UN Security Council
Climate change, security and the climate change regime
Electronic copy available at: http://ssrn.com/abstract=1121667
Security
Definition – the state of being safe, protected
Protected from what? External violent threat, non violent threats,
Freedom from fear and freedom from want
Most people instinctively understand what security means [Human
deprivation?
Development Report 1994]
From territorial security to human security Global
National
Individual
Human security and freedom are not only the primary ends of national and international peace and security, they are also among its principal means. [Boyle and Simonsen (2004)]
Human Security and National Security are mutually reinforcing. But secure states do not necessarily mean secure people [Human Security Report, 2005]
Human Security: Defensive to integrative security Narrow
concept
emphasis on protection from violent threats
Draws from the using of military for territorial integrity
Broader
concept
Holistic, human centred approach; includes safety from the above plus hunger, disease, repression, natural disasters; threat to dignity, threat to freedom of making choices
safety from continuing threats and ‘sudden and hurtful disruptions in the patterns of daily life’
Seven Categories of human security (HDR)
Economic security, Food security, Health security, Environmental security, personal security, Community security, Political security
Climate Change and Security
Characteristics of human security (HDR) & Climate change Universal
concern Easier to ensure through early prevention Interdependent components People-centered
2 kinds of security threat? Difficult to make the distinction‌ State security
mass forced migration, terrorism, political violence, intercommunal violence, interstate warfare, conflict over resources
Human
Security
All of these, direct influences in terms of loss of access, harmful effects on health, food, disruption in routine practices
• Interstate warfare & conflict
Climate Change
• Migration • Wars
• Internal violence • Migration • Disasters & Epidemics • Terrorism
• Energy (in) security
Loss of Security
• Denial or inaccess to basic rights
Climate change, security & UN Security Council “While the physical effects of climate change and what can be done about them are important issues, it is their potential impact on security that is the proposed focus of this Security Council debate”. UK Concept paper while accepting that the ‘immediate drivers’ of conflict would continue to be ‘national and regional power struggles; ideology; ethnic, religious and national tensions; and severe economic, social or political inequality’, it argued that climate change could aggravate these drivers It is about “our collective security in a fragile and increasingly interdependent world” Ban Ki-Moon “Environmental degradation has the potential to destabilize already conflict-prone regions, especially when compounded by inequitable access or politicization of access to scarce resources.
CC at Security Council: Some concerns
Climate change not a security issue Sustainable
development issue, Socio- economic and environmental issue
Climate change is a security issue but Security Council not the right forum Climate
change is not a security issue alone Developed countries, largely responsible for CC are permanent members LDCs, SIDS and developing countries concerns might not get addressed Lacks capacity and legitimacy
Climate change, security & climate change regime
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
to address climate change,
by providing for reporting of climate change, scientific and technological research, and annual meetings of the conference of the parties
Common but differential responsibility principles
Kyoto Protocol
Commitment by developed countries to bring down their emissions by 2012
To agree on post 2012 commitments by December 2008
Bali Action Plan
Focus on vulnerable and adaptation and adaptation financing
Climate change, security & climate change regime
Climate change as a public good (or bad)
Need for a multilateral forum
Security is just one dimension of a much larger problem
The two way relationship between climate and human security
Adaptation is not all
Has to be complemented by mitigation
Problem of enforcement / compliance
Multilateral nature of UNFCCC & binding power of UNSC: Can we strike a balance?
Thank you nidhis@teri.res.in