The Climate, Environment, Peace and Security Declaration

On 13 May 2022, G7 Foreign Ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, the United States of America, and the High Representative of the European Union endorsed a Statement on Climate, Environment, Peace and Security. A common goal is to further develop this initiative, which particularly relies on ownership by and membership of the most climate-vulnerable countries.

Excerpt from declaration:

“We […], who are united in our resolve to keep the goal of limiting warming to 1.5°C in reach, to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030 and to reach net zero emissions globally by mid-century:

• Recognize that the impacts of the climate and biodiversity crises pose a threat to international peace and stability where people and ecosystems face existential perils, with disproportionate impacts on individuals in developing, lower-income, fragile and conflict affected states, and where the international order as we know it will be increasingly put to the test;
• Understand that because we share the climate and ecosystems, each nation’s security is indelibly tied to that of others – the consequences of climate change and environmental degradation (both terrestrial and marine) know no borders;
• Underscore that these challenges offer an opportunity for collective action (across different sectoral mandates) and multilateral cooperation to understand and address the peace and security implications of climate change and environmental degradation;
• Warn that there is a vicious cycle in which the greater the impacts of climate change, biodiversity loss and environmental degradation the greater the risks to peace and stability, particularly in already fragile states, which in turn has the potential to impact greenhouse gas emissions, biodiversity loss and deforestation and hinder governments from effectively addressing these challenges;
• Stress that peace and stability are often decisive in mitigating against and adapting to the consequences of climate change and environmental degradation and reducing the losses and damages caused by climate change, just as climate and environmental action is a critical aspect of sustainable peace.

Building on The Hague Declaration on Planetary Security, the Berlin Call for Action on Climate and Security and the work of the Group of Friends on Climate and Security in New York, we intend to work with like-minded partners to establish a “Climate, Environment, Peace and Security Initiative”. This group will advocate for and undertake concrete and operational actions, approaches and solutions to help tackle climate and environmental risks for peace and stability across the world. To that end, this declaration sets out a seven-point agenda for action to advance timely and effective responses to the risks posed by climate change and environmental degradation to stability and peace by:

1. Aligning our policies and practices as a whole-of-government response to better understand and address peace and security implications of climate change; to fulfil the Paris Agreement and outcomes thereunder, including the Glasgow Climate Pact, as well as international environmental commitments, and conserve or protect at least 30 percent of our land and oceans by 2030, including terrestrial and inland waters and coastal and marine areas, notably pursuing efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5 °C and to halt and reverse biodiversity loss;
2. Supporting those states and regions whose stability and peace are most affected by climate- and environment-related risks; mobilizing climate and biodiversity finance, while promoting resilience, gender equality, conflict prevention, peace and capacity-building in affected regions. This includes scaling up finance for adaptation in line with the Glasgow call to at least double the collective provision of adaptation finance from 2019 levels by 2025, in the context of achieving a balance between mitigation and adaptation in the provision of scaled-up financial resources, recalling Article 9, paragraph 4, of the Paris Agreement;
3. Improving resilience and adaptation in the face of climatic and environmental change (and the wider security, economic, humanitarian, environmental and societal challenges it creates) globally by bringing climate security and environmental risk assessment, climate change adaptation, disaster risk reduction, and nature-based solutions into the heart of our operations, in addition to mitigation efforts, and utilizing data-driven, science-based, and comprehensive multisectoral approaches/analytical insights;
4. Collaborating to improve operational responses to support stability and peace by firmly integrating climate change and environmental degradation and their impacts into early warning, mediation, peace-keeping and other peace support operations, in order to promote resilience and to avoid a vicious cycle where climate change and environmental degradation worsen drivers of conflict, which in turn increases vulnerability to climate change and environmental degradation impacts;
5. Sharing experience and expertise (internationally and across national and subnational government departments) to shape and deliver coordinated policies and practices that are inclusive, context and conflict-sensitive, gender-responsive, and tailored to local conditions and needs of stakeholders;
6. Advancing coherent and complementary approaches around climate, environment, peace and security and facilitating multilateral collaboration, for example through a regular meeting of supporting actors from governments and international organizations to civil society and the private sector, for example at the Berlin Climate and Security Conference;
7. Assuring that the risks to stability and peace posed by climate change biodiversity loss and environmental degradation, as well as climate mitigation and adaptation, are raised to the highest levels of government.”

Source: https://www.auswaertiges-amt.de/en/newsroom/news/-/2531240