With approximately 3.5 billion people living in “climate hotspots”, the risks associated with peace and security can only increase, said the UN Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations on Tuesday, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, before the Security Council, warning that measures must be taken to avoid effects that continue to worsen.
Climate shocks are leading to deteriorating security conditions from Afghanistan to Mali, and UN peacekeeping missions are taking steps to adapt, whether it’s reducing their carbon footprint or dealing with a myriad of related consequences.
Given the increasingly close links between climate change, peace and security, as well as wider changes in the dynamics of conflict in the areas where we work, we must continue to adapt,” he said.
He said the latest assessment report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) shows that climate and risks such as biodiversity loss and violent conflict will increasingly interact.
At the second official meeting of the 2023 Security Council dedicated to this trend, more than 70 speakers, including former Colombian President and Nobel Laureate Juan Manuel Santos, exchanged views on the links between climate change and worsening security.
The link between climate and security
Giving an overview of current efforts, Mr. Lacroix said that in recent years, most UN peace operations have faced greater dangers and political challenges.
The link between climate and security
Giving an overview of current efforts, Mr. Lacroix said that in recent years, most UN peace operations have faced greater dangers and political challenges.
“Transboundary issues, environmental degradation and extreme weather events, amplified by climate change, are increasingly challenging our ability to implement our mandates,” he said. We are already seeing a strong correlation between member states facing fragility and those facing climate change.”
Of the 16 countries most vulnerable to climate change, nine are hosting a UN mission on the ground: Afghanistan, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, Haiti, Mali, Somalia, Sudan, South Sudan and Yemen, said the UN Head of Peace Operations, noting that the majority of UN peace operations are deployed in contexts that are both highly exposed to climate and characterized by high levels of gender inequality.
Although UN missions on the ground do not hold the “ultimate solution” to climate change, they are “deeply” affected by its impact, Lacroix said.
Dual vulnerability
“Our missions are a direct witness to the double vulnerability posed by climate change and insecurity,” he shared, citing several examples from Mali to South Sudan.
As such, priority areas for action in UN missions on the ground include investing in the capacity to anticipate and address the links between climate and security, strengthen the mutual benefits of climate action and make environments safer, and ensure that missions do not become part of the problem, the UN official said.
“Guided by the Environmental Strategy for Peace Operations, the UN is phasing in renewable energy solutions, reducing our environmental footprint while minimizing the security risk for fuel convoys,” Lacroix said.
Renewed efforts
Noting that in 2021 and 2022, six per cent of the electricity used in UN peace operations was generated from renewable energy sources, he welcomed new initiatives such as the Nepal-United StatesUnited to deploy a large-scale hybrid solar system in Rumbek, South Sudan, and the launch by the United Arab Emirates and Norway of the Peace Energy Compact.
“The deployment of climate, peace and security capabilities in an increasing number of field missions has changed the situation,” he said. “the integration of climate considerations into their work has strengthened the capacities of missions to implement the mandates entrusted by this Council.”
Mr. Lacroix highlighted that the 2023 UN Peacekeeping Ministerial meeting in Ghana in December will provide additional opportunities to strengthen efforts by generating promises that meet needs, specialized capabilities to equip partnerships in key areas such as the environment.
Together, we can build a future where our efforts in conflict prevention, peacebuilding and peacebuilding will be strengthened and complemented by our commitment to address the climate crisis,” he said.
