This webinar is co-organised with the Planetary Security Initiative and the British Embassy in the Netherlands in the run-up to COP26 (1-12 November, Glasgow).
The security dimension of climate change is increasingly recognized by the Defence sector, and Dutch and British voices have been leading internationally in raising awareness on this issue. Whereas climate change initially was considered just as a new risk factor, attention has shifted to how the increase of extreme weather events impacts todays’ military capabilities, how defence organisations and institutions can adapt and mitigate, and to how the military can contribute to environmental peacebuilding efforts. Another area of attention is how military research and innovation could better align with energy transition objectives, and become a test-bed and accelerator of new technologies and how new tech can be harnessed to reduce the climate impact of defence organisations.
This webinar discusses how the military can contribute more to reducing security risks related to climate change with an excellent panel of speakers. When a post-Corona virus world emerges, the military needs to be prepared to confront this challenge head-on.
Programme
The webinar will be moderated by Louise van Schaik, Head of EU & Global Affairs at the Clingendael Institute.
- Welcome by Joanna Roper, British Ambassador to the Netherlands
Climate as a security risk: the need to act
- Keynote speaker: Gen. (ret.) Tom Middendorp, Chair of the International Military Council on Climate and Security (IMCCS) & Senior Research Associate Clingendael
Climate change in the Caribbean: better be prepared
- Conversation with Colin Young, Executive Director, Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre, Belize
Climate change: implications for the defence sector and its contributions to mitigation and adaptation
- Joep Wijnands, Directorate-General for Policy of the Netherlands Ministry of Defence
- General Richard Nugee Climate Change and Sustainability Strategy Lead for the UK Ministry of Defence
- David van Weel, Assistant Secretary-General for Emerging Security Challenges at NATO
- Katarina Kertysova, European Leadership Network (ELN) London, NATO Young Leader 2030
The climate-security and COP26: how is the issue relevant, and what are the possibilities
- Final remarks by Ambassador Joanna Roper
