adelphi analyses peace and conflict potentials of climate policies

Not only can activities for climate change mitigation and lowering vulnerability to climate change be seen as suitable approaches to avoid conflict. What has been ignored is the fact that these efforts could also aggravate existing conflicts or create new ones if not carefully designed.

To fill this gap, adelphi contributed two articles as part of the report “Backdraft: The Conflict Potential of Climate Mitigation and Adaptation”. The publication had been presented last week by the Environmental Change and Security Programme of the Woodrow Wilson Center in Washington, DC.

In their essay„The Need for Conflict-Sensitive Adaptation to Climate Change,” adelphi’s experts Dennis Tänzler and Alexander Carius are discussing the peace and conflict potentials against the backdrop of the international climate negotiations. The authors urge policymakers to think beyond national borders in order to more effectively address the transboundary impacts of climate change in conflict settings. A series of policy recommendations provides the aid and development communities with a potential blueprint for conflict-sensitive adaptation measures.

The focus of the second article is on REDD+ – measures for reducing deforestation and forest degradation. Dennis Tänzler examines not only REDD+’s positive economic and environmental benefits for forest-rich countries in the developing world, but also highlights how such initiatives could trigger disputes over land rights, carbon ownership, and equitable distribution of REDD-related financial benefits. His contribution “Forests and Conflict: The Relevance of REDD+” concludes with a series of policy recommendations to improve the effectiveness of such initiatives through heightened incorporation of local conflict dynamics in target countries.

For further information go to:
http://www.wilsoncenter…