SPEARHEADING CLIMATE CHANGE AGENDA THROUGH GLOBAL PARTNERSHIPS: A Focus on the Recently Concluded Security Implications of Climate Change Symposium (SICC III)

By Peter Kinuthia Murimi

The issue of climate change has inspired most of the recently held and planned summits, symposiums, gatherings, and conferences more than any other in the world. It is particularly interesting to witness the active involvement of Armed Forces in a push towards addressing the impact of climate change in the African region. Botswana was the host of this year’s third edition of Security Implications of Climate Change Symposium (SICC III). The event which took place from June 26 - 28, was held in Gaborone, the capital city of Botswana.

Sponsored by the United States Africa Command (USAFRICOM), with the Botswana’s Defence Force (BDF) being at the center of coordinating and ensuring its success, the event was also supported by the United States Institute of Peace (USIP). The symposium was attended by notable dignitaries and leaders in the military from over 36 countries. These dignitaries and experts convened to discuss collaborative efforts aimed at finding sustainable solutions to the climate change challenges across the wider African continent. Society is well accustomed to military involvement during armed conflicts or going on missions to restore peace and stability in regions experiencing civil wars and political instability. However, of late the military and disciplined forces are becoming increasingly involved in the global climate change agenda as demonstrated by the SICC III. It is worth noting that some of the natural disasters that the military responds to in various countries are triggered by the impact of climate change. Natural disasters such as flash floods and landslides are often induced by the extreme weather conditions, resulting in displacement and migration, which subsequently often weaken governance and fuel political unrests.

The symposium held in Botswana is in line with the findings of the report from the United Nations General Assembly report. On 11th September 2009, the United Nations released and published a report entitled, “Climate change and its possible security implications.” The report suggests climate change is increasingly proving to be a “threat multiplier” as it serves to exacerbates the threats that are caused by persistent poverty, weak institutions in resource management, and the scarcity of resources caused by the effects of climate change. The report from the United Nations also recommended the need to have accelerated action at all levels to bolster these threat minimizers.

Most urgently, comprehensive, fair and effective international collaboration is critical in achieving stabilization of climate, and also facilitate the protection of the development gains, thereby assisting vulnerable nations and regions with climate change adaptation. The report also called on the need to build a more secure and sustainable and equitable society for all. Copenhagen Accord of 2009 reiterated that climate change has proven to be one of the major challenges in the current 21st Century and as such, there is a great need for a strong and elaborate political will to urgently find an amicable solution aimed at combating climate change in accordance with the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities.

In addition to the security implications of climate change symposium that has just being concluded in Botswana, Kenya is preparing to host the African Climate Change Summit in September and African Climate Week. These events will bring together the head of nations from all African countries to discuss how the continent can navigate through the challenges created by climate change. Further, the implications of climate change can also result in events that triggers and breeds security crises. Prolonged droughts result in the scarcity of water resources, which triggers territorial conflicts between communities and countries. Remember the famous saying of the vice president of World Bank Ismail Serageldin, “The Wars of the next century will be about water and water scarcity.” One of the factors that that has proven to be a significant drive of water crisis and scarcity includes climate change. Some of the regions in African have started experiencing the reality of this statement.

A reporter of the University of Southern California, Gary Polakovic affirmed that the Water dispute on the Nile River holds a significant potential of destabilizing the Sub-Saharan region. Currently, Egypt has not been able to cater for its water needs from the inputs from River Nile. On top of this crisis, Ethiopia proposes the development of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam with an estimated worth of $5 billion. The dam is at the advanced stages of completion and will culminate into a reservoir of up to 74 billion cubic meters of water. Egypt has threatened a military intervention if Ethiopia diverts the waters of the Nile. More research continues to show that the input of River Nile continues to decline because of the effects of climate change.

The ultimate goal of climate change symposiums

The outcomes and the goals of symposium are intended to help the African countries increase their resilience against climate change. Some of the goals of climate change include policy development. The symposium is a strategic platform for the policymakers and diplomats in the military to develop some practical and effective policies, strategies, and frameworks that would aid in finding an amicable solution to the security implication of climate change. The symposium is also an opportunity for collaboration, networking, and partnership. This is in line with the Sustainable Development 17, which calls for strengthening of global partnerships between governments, private sectors, and entities for the realization of sustainable development. As such, it would be expected that the symposium provides an amicable solution to the looming military tension between Ethiopia, Sudan, and Egypt over the Nile Water, and any such tensions that results from resource scarcity attributed to the impacts of climate change.