Roundtable series “Climate, environment, peace: Priorities for EU external action"

The European Green Deal has put climate change in focus of EU action. However, it is not yet clear how the EU can engage in climate security and environmental peacemaking. In the run-up to the German EU Council Presidency, adelphi and its partners are organising a roundtable series on the topic.

The European Green Deal recognises that “global climate and environmental challenges are a significant threat multiplier and a source of instability [and that] the ecological transition will reshape geopolitics, including global economic, trade and security interests”. To address these risks and to manage the transformation processes in a peaceful manner, concerted action across policy areas, including foreign policy, security and defence policy, humanitarian action, development policy and climate change adaptation and mitigation, is necessary. As we enter 2020 and the new Commission starts to put the Green Deal into practice, there are a number of topics and questions that remain open:

• What exactly is the EU’s role in climate foreign policy and environmental peacemaking?
• How is the evidence regarding the linkages between climate change, environmental degradation and violent conflict already shaping European policies?
• How should we (re-)design peace processes, EU tools and instruments to better support conflict prevention and resolution?
• How can the EU foster integrated climate change adaptation and peacebuilding action?
• How can the European Green Deal support countries still dependent on fossil fuels or carbon-intensive assets?

Roundtable series on climate, environment and peace

To explore these questions further, to facilitate discussions between policy makers and experts, and to build capacity amongst EU stakeholders in Brussels and beyond, adelphi seeks to organise and support a roundtable series on “Climate, environment, peace: Priorities for EU external action in the decade ahead” with four key actors: European Peacebuilding Liaison Office (EPLO), European Institute of Peace (EIP), Institute for Environment and Sustainability (IES) and Center for International Peace Operations (ZIF).

Bringing together a broad range of expertise and matching it with the specific needs of the policy community, the objective is to move from awareness-raising to risk-informed decision-making, ranging from timely preventive action to improved humanitarian response, peacebuilding and development programming.

The target audience is EU stakeholders working on EU foreign and security policy, humanitarian action, development cooperation, climate change policy, and other related policy areas.

The following roundtables are currently planned:

1. Dialogue series on “Climate change, environmental peace-making and security in the EU” | 24/25 March 2020, Brussels | Partner: European Institute of Peace (EIP)
2. Launch event of the report “The geopolitics of decarbonisation” | March 2020, Brussels | Partner: The Institute for European Studies (IES)
3. Dialogue series on “Climate change, peacebuilding and security in the EU” | May/June 2020, Brussels | Partner: European Peacebuilding Liaison Office (EPLO)
4. Event on the Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP), peacekeeping and climate change | Mai/Juni 2020, Brüssel | Partner: Zentrum für Internationale Friedenseinsätze (ZIF)

adelphi will provide input and expertise on environment, climate security and peacebuilding policies during the workshops.

The round table series is supported by a grant from the German Federal Foreign Office.

Registration upon invitation. Please contact ruettingeradelphi [dot] de (Mr. Lukas Rüttinger) for further information.