Friday, January 21, 2011

Event Advisory: “The Results of the IISS Transatlantic Dialogue on Climate Change and Security”

Next week, on Wednesday, I will be presenting the results of the IISS Transatlantic Dialogue on Climate Change and Security at the IISS's US office here in Washington. Esther McClure, a Strategy Action Officer for Energy and Environmental Policy at the Pentagon. The discussion will be moderated by Günter Hörmandinger, the Coundelor for Environment from the Embassy of the European Union.  

The event will begin at 4:45 pm on Wednesday, January 26. It should be an interesting discussion that will hopefully highlight some of the areas of differences and for cooperation in the approach of the US and EU to climate and security policy.  

Here's a sneak peak:
Climate change is at the heart of both national and collective security.  The earth is unequivocally warming, and no matter what action is taken to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions, that warming is very likely to continue for at least the next 30-40 years. This discussion will focus on the role security planners have in preparing for a warmer climate, so that the impacts of climate change – like sea level rise, changes in water resources, or food shortages – do not fuel conflict. 
On another note, this will be my swan-song with the IISS. As this program comes to an end, my time at the IISS will also come to an end. 

There is still room available. To join us at the event, please RSVP to events-washington@iiss.org.  I am looking forward to a good discussion with our panelists and our participants.  

Next week, I'll post details of what will happen to this blog after I've left the IISS. I will also post the link to the report, when we put that up on the IISS' website.