July 23, 2011

The United Nations Security Council has for the first time admitted that global warming poses a major threat to world security and peace. The move catapults climate change higher up the global agenda. What might appear self-evident to many took days of complicated discussions and negotiations at the UN Security Council. But in the end, the 15 member-states agreed that a rise in global temperatures could pose a serious threat to world peace. They point out that drought, for example, could lead to conflicts over food and water. Even floods, such as the devastating one last year in Pakistan, or a rise in sea levels, could threaten the very survival of island nations. It was the first time in four years that the Security Council formally debated the environment. And it was the first-ever Council statement - at the insistence of this month's council president, Germany - linking climate change to global peace and security. The final statement expressed "concern that possible adverse effects of climate change may, in the long run, aggravate certain existing threats to international peace and security." It also requested UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to include information on possible climate change impacts in his regular reports on global trouble-spots. It is a breakthrough because it's the first time that the Security Council has officially admitted the possible security and political dimensions of climate change. The declaration had to be voted on by all the 15 member states. In 2007, a similar initiative failed to get the necessary backing. Whether it's an exodus of refugees, conflicts over water and food, or rising sea levels, scientists have long been warning about the possible security risks of climate change. UN chief Ban Ki-moon too sounded the alarm about the risks associated with rising temperatures. "Extreme weather events continue to grow more frequent and intense in rich and poor countries alike, not only devastating lives, but also infrastructure, institutions, and budgets - an unholy brew which can create dangerous security vacuums," he told a Security Council debate on the issue. Also, the UN declared a famine in parts of war-torn Somalia. It was another sad illustration of the links between climate change, drought, food shortages, and security.