Tackling climate risks, preserving peace: Developing guidelines for conflict-sensitive adaptation

Climate change increases the frequency and severity of natural disasters, and reduces access to and the availability of resources – environmental changes that have serious negative impacts on human development, peace and security. An understanding of the interplay between climate change, adaptation, vulnerability and crisis prevention is crucial if decision and policy-makers are to design and implement effective adaptation measures that strengthen resilience and promote long-term sustainable development. This is particularly important in developing countries and fragile states where people already live in precarious conditions.

These interrelations between adaptation and peace and security are subject of a project adelphi is carrying out on behalf of the German environment Agency (UBA). The overall objective is to produce a set of guidelines for designing adaptation measures in a way that they minimize existing security risks, promote peace and prevent additional conflict – so called guidelines for conflict-sensitive adaptation.

adelphi will analyse which factors play a role in reducing security risks in climate change adaptation, and conduct research to identify best-practice examples from conflict-prone regions. The research team will then collaborate with experts and professionals in the fields of climate change adaptation, development, peace promotion and crisis prevention to develop specific, practical guidelines and building blocks for adaptation measures and projects. In addition, the results should be used as an input for discussions at the EU, UN as well as G7 level.