EVENT
Video: Climate change impacts on conflict
Watch a video of our online event featuring an expert discussion on how to move to action on climate change and conflict dynamics.
Update, 2 March
This event took place on 25 February 2021. You can watch a recording of the event below.
Thank you to all who could join us and to the discussants for their involvement in this event.
"Climate disruption was an amplifier and multiplier of the political crisis that was building up in Syria," Staffan de Mistura told @dwnews at our event w/ @PIK_Climate on climate change and conflict last week.
— Berghof Foundation (@BerghofFnd) March 1, 2021
Check out the article here: https://t.co/4Q5MjeUmQO
Policy needs to be informed by #science. But science also needs to informed by #policy. Only in this way can we find the tools and solutions that policymakers need to overcome #climate and #security challenges, says @JanVivekananda of @adelphi_berlin pic.twitter.com/DISzFwcveU
— Berghof Foundation (@BerghofFnd) February 25, 2021
It is now widely accepted that climate change exacerbates conflict. However, our understanding of this nexus and the myriad forms it can take are still at the early stages – and both the climate change and the peacebuilding communities struggle to find appropriate responses.
With this event, the Berghof Foundation and the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) want to advance the debate from stating the facts to taking action. Starting with inputs from experts on Afghanistan, Ethiopia and Syria, we will discuss how effects of the climate crisis, such as droughts and shifting rainfall patterns, affect local conflict dynamics. Based on these insights, we will explore with experts on climate change and peacebuilding which challenges lay ahead for both disciplines, where innovative approaches are developed and how organisations should reach out for increased cooperation and funding.
Climate Change Impacts on Conflict – Moving from Acknowledgement to Action
Thursday, 25 February 2021
2–4pm CET (ical, ics)
Online event via Zoom | Language: English
Opening remarks
- Prof. Dr. Ottmar Edenhofer, Director, PIK
- Andrew Gilmour, Executive Director, Berghof Foundation
Inputs on Afghanistan, Ethiopia and Syria
Input on Afghanistan
- Stefanie Wesch, Doctoral Researcher, PIK
- Basir Feda, Head of Afghanistan Unit, Berghof
- Dr. Martina Klimes, Advisor for Water and Peace, Stockholm International Water Institute
Input on Ethiopia
- Julia Blocher, Doctoral researcher, PIK
- Dr. Tigist Yeshiwas, Senior peacebuilding advisor to the Ethiopian Ministry of Peace
Input on Syria
- Dr. Colin P. Kelley, Senior Research Fellow, Center for Climate and Security
- Jamal Saghir, Professor of Practice, Institute for the Study of International Development at McGill University
Panel discussion: Climate Change and Conflict: What next?
Among others with
- Staffan de Mistura, former UN Special Envoy for Syria, former UN Special Representative for Afghanistan
- Michael Keating, Executive Director of the European Institute of Peace
- Dr. Hinrich Thölken, Ambassador, Director for International Climate and Energy Policy and Digital Transformation, German Federal Foreign Office
- Dr. Kira Vinke, Co-chair Advisory Council for Civilian Crisis Prevention and Peacebuilding, Project lead, PIK
- Janani Vivekananda, Head of Programme Climate Diplomacy and Security at adelphi
Moderator
- Rebecca Ritters, News anchor and reporter, Deutsche Welle News
This event will take place in English.
We are looking very much forward to involving you into the discussion. Please send us your questions via email hidden; JavaScript is required prior to the event or join the discussion on Twitter by using #Berghof50.
50 Years Berghof Foundation
The Berghof Foundation is celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2021. This event is part of a series of events we hold throughout the year to reflect on past and current peacebuilding successes and challenges. The events will identify and look at trends in order to develop tactics that will ensure our efforts towards sustainable peace together with our partners remain effective in the years to come. Find out more on our website and sign up for our newsletters or follow us on Twitter to stay up to date about our anniversary programme.
Media contact
You can reach the press team at:
+49 (0) 177 7052758
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