Climate and security – what is Germany doing?

Berlin, 27 September 2018

The consequences of climate change threaten to deprive people of their livelihoods and thereby become a danger to international security. Germany is working to find Solutions. This was the theme of an article published by the Federal Foreign Office of Germany in September. 

According to the article, “Germany will be a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for two years from 2019 to 2020. One of the areas it will be focusing on is the connection between climate change and international conflict. Not enough attention is yet paid to this issue. Germany will put the topic on the agenda wherever it is relevant. Its prime aim, however, is to develop strategies to solve the associated problems. The development of better early warning systems and prevention mechanisms is just one aspect”.

“The UN Security Council is well placed to work on the nexus between climate and security policy. Climate change is an international challenge that requires an international response. For that reason, Germany will continue to campaign for the implementation of the Paris climate agreement in general and as a member of the Security Council”, the piece continued.

It was also announced that a Group of Friends has been set up as a forum for discussion and brainstorming. “Germany and Nauru launched the UN Group of Friends on Climate and Security on 1 August 2018. A total of 30 states have joined together with the aim of cooperating to develop solutions to address the security policy’s impact of climate change, raise public awareness and boost the involvement of the United Nations in this area”.

“The Group of Friends will play an important role during Germany’s membership of the Security Council as a forum for discussing policy ideas and making recommendations on issues such as enhancing states’ resilience to climate-related security risks”.

Read more about German climate change initiatives in the United Nations, the EU and in the G7/G8 context here.