Impacts of Climate Change on Human Security: What can be done?

A Conference about Climate Change, Human Security, Climate Solutions and Finance
May 18, 2021

For more information and to register, visit: Climate: Security, Solutions and Finance Conference

A. The above video was created by the Climate Solutions Advancement Network (ClimateSAN) as a result of information gained from the Media Advisory event hosted on Oct. 21, 2020 by the NATO Association of Canada (NAOC) and ClimateSAN entitled “Impacts of Climate Change on Human Security: What Can be done?“.  To view a recording of the full media advisory event, see the one-hour long video, below:

B. Given below is a summary of this media advisory event:

Dubbed the “greatest threat to global security”, climate change is increasingly recognized as a “threat multiplier” that left unchecked, has the potential to destabilize civil societies around the world. This media event, sponsored by the NATO Association of Canada, in partnership with Climate Solutions Advancement Network (ClimateSAN), highlighted both imminent and long-term security risks of climate change, as well as explored strategies and technologies to mitigate those risks.

Climate experts agree on the urgent need for immediate and substantial action in order to combat climate change. What is frequently missed in the conversation, however, is the way climate change intersects with political, social and economic factors. Military experts are becoming increasingly alarmed. According to a recent report by the International Military Council on Climate and Security, 86% of climate security and military experts surveyed perceive climate change effects on conflict within nations presents a significant or higher risk to global security in the next two decades.

Complicating matters is the ideological and decision-making gridlock between progressive and conservative leaders. In an attempt to bridge this gap, Impacts on Climate Change Human Security: What Can Be Done?, brought together a panel of prominent experts to discuss how military and intelligence leaders are increasingly focusing on the issue. In addition, this panel highlighted some solutions that are ready to be implemented on a global scale in order to mitigate climate change, as well as introduced a major new climate finance initiative called the International Platform for Climate Finance (IPCF).  Given below is a list of speakers along with links to related related information:

  1. James Grabert, Director, Mitigation, United Nations Climate Change Secretariat, Bonn, Germany spoke about the urgent need for action on climate change.
  2. Honorable Sherri Goodman, Secretary General of theInternational Military Council on Climate and Security (IMCCS) presented highlights of The World Climate and Security Report 2020 report.
  3. Hon. John Conger, Director, Centre for Climate and Security (CCS) and part of the National Security, Military and Intelligence Panel (NSMIP) on Climate Change, discussed some key findings from the Security Threat Assessment of Global Climate Change report.
  4. Michael Collins, Executive Director at the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP) presented highlights of their recently launched “Ecological Threat Register (ETR)”.
  5. Robert Baines, President and CEO of the NATO Association of Canada, outlined how international cooperation has increased security and why much more of it will be needed in the future due to rapidly growing impacts of climate change.
  6. Paul Stevers, President and CEO, Think Renewables Group and Co-founder, Climate Solutions Advancement Network (ClimateSAN) introduced a range of technologies that can be implemented on a global scale via a specially prepared video shown at this link: Climate Solutions That Can Be Implemented on a Global Scale.
  7. Steve Waygood from Aviva Investors, who is also part of the Global Investors for Sustainable Development Alliance, introduced the International Platform for Climate Finance, which is intended to mobilize the $1 trillion of new investment capital that will be required every year for the next 15 years to put the world on the path for a net-zero transition.
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C. Given below is a brief summary of Climate Solutions that can be implemented on a global scale:
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There are a wide range of solutions that mitigate or adapt to climate change (Climate Solutions) that can be implemented on a global scale.  This summary will only focus on Climate Solutions that mitigate climate change.
Fortunately, over the last several decades, there has been considerable progress in developing technologies and research into ways to implement nature based solutions on a large scale. To help explain the range of technologies and nature based solutions, we have grouped the solutions in these three main categories:
a) Decarbonization of Industry
b) Energy Storage
c) Carbon Sequestration
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D. Given below is a summary of the planned International Platform for Climate Finance (IPCF) and the need for its adoption at COP26:

The is an urgent need to implement Climate Solutions on an adequate global scale.  To accomplish this, many trillions of dollars will be needed.  Fortunately, there is a significant new initiative underway being carried out by a large coalition of organizations including some of the world’s leading financial institutions such as Aviva Investors. This initiative, which is called the “International Platform on Climate Finance” or IPCF is intended to mobilize $1 trillion of new investment capital every year for the next 15 years to help put the world on the path to a net-zero transition. 

This Coalition for IPCF is bringing together central bankers, finance ministers, and CEOs from some of the worlds largest financial institutions for the first time to focus on creating and implementing this type of funding platform for climate action.  They plan to use the IPCF to raise money from the global financial system and deploy it in a way that ensures markets support the Paris Agreement, rather than undermine it.

In order for climate solutions to be implemented on a global scale, the IPCF is critically needed and for it to be fully operational, it needs to be adopted by the Parties attending 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26).  Therefore, we encourage everyone to learn about this important initiative and consider supporting its adoption at COP26.

E. Given below is a reference section for the impacts of climate change on human security, which includes links to supporting information:

a) Article about the head of International Energy Agency (IEA), Dr, Fatih Birol, who spoke about the urgent need for action in the next 6 months to prevent a post-lockdown surge in emissions). 
b) Beyond the Arctic: The Strategic and National Security – Implications of Climate Change for Canada – A Monograph by MAJ Jean-François J. M. E. Lamarche, Canadian Army, School of Advanced Military Studies, US Army Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, KS, 2020.
c) Report: The Security of Canada and Canadians: Implications of Climate Change – A Knowledge Synthesis Research Project Funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, The University of Western Ontario.

F. Given below is a reference section for Climate Solutions that can be implemented on a global scale:

a) Project Drawdown Table of Solutions.

b) Video: 2040 Movie – a story of hope that looks at the very real possibility that humanity could reverse global warming and improve the lives of every living thing in the process. It is a positive vision of what ‘could be’, instead of the dystopian future we are so often presented.

c) Significant reports and and articles relating to hydrogen:

d) Energy Storage – Tracking report – June 2020 by IEA.

e) BloombergNEF, which is a leading provider of primary research on clean energy.

f) Countdown, which is a collaboration powered by TED and Future Stewards.  It is a global initiative to champion and accelerate solutions to the climate crisis, turning ideas into action.

g) Climate Neutral Now, which is an initiative launched by UN Climate Change (UNFCCC).

h) Video: Elon Musk’s presentation of Tesla’s new battery cell design at Tesla Battery Day, Sep 22, 2020

i) Video: Kiss the Ground on Netflix – an inspiring film that shows how changing farming can regenerate the soils, stabilize climate, restore ecosystems & create better food supplies (movie trailer on YouTube).

G. Given below is a video about the financial implications of inadequate action on climate change:

a) Video: Our Planet: Too Big To Fail – Our economy is fundamentally underpinned by the stability and the resilience of the natural world. But this stability is no longer guaranteed. Our Planet: Too Big To Fail is a 42 minute film that explores the risks of inaction, the impact of investing-as-usual, and the role the finance sector can play in powering a sustainable future.

H. Kiss The Ground Movie – Reverse Climate Change – www.kisstheground.com

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