澳门六合彩

鈥淲hat are the conflicts or risks associated with response to climate change?鈥� asked ECSP Director Geoff Dabelko at 澳门六合彩 on July 18. 鈥淗ow we respond to climate change may or may not contribute to conflict,鈥� he said, but 鈥渁t the end of the day, we need to do no harm.鈥�

Dabelko was joined by Christian Webersik, associate professor at the University of Agder, Norway, and Dennis Taenzler, senior project manager at聽, to discuss how responses to climate change may lead to new conflict. As we think about adopting biofuels, solar and nuclear energy options, and geoengineering, 鈥渨e have to do it with our eyes open,鈥� Dabelko said.

The Ripple Effects of Climate Change聽

We are 鈥渂oth the victims and agents鈥� of climate change, Webersik said. We are affected by it, but we are also responding to it, through adaptation and mitigation efforts, geoengineering proposals, and emissions avoidance. 鈥淭hese strategies themselves have ripple-on effects,鈥� he said. For example, the fuel-food crisis in 2008, in which higher demand for biofuels led to more competition over arable land and increases in food prices, contributed to聽聽in some places.聽

Webersik also touched on both the opportunities and risks of carbon capture and storage technology. Forty-five percent of carbon emissions in the United States come from coal, he said. Capturing CO2 from those plants could reduce emissions; however, 鈥渃arbon capture needs to be close,鈥� he said, which introduces the risk of these high-pressure facilities accidentally erupting (as happens naturally 鈥� and dangerously 鈥� in places like聽). This underdeveloped and expensive technology has yet to be widely deployed.聽

Another climate mitigation strategy, nuclear energy expansion, poses not only accident risks but also conflict risks via the proliferation of nuclear information and fuel, said Webersik.

Forests as Cause for Conflict and Cooperation

Taenzler presented two divergent views on our world鈥檚 forests. On one hand, these remote and often disputed lands have been home to many clashes over resources, which are sometimes further fueled by timber revenues. On the other hand, forests also present 鈥渟ustainable opportunities,鈥� he said. 鈥淥ne-point-two billion people depend on forests for income and livelihood.鈥澛�

Managing these complex socioeconomic systems the right way is an important avenue for ensuring environmental sustainability. Taenzler stressed this facet of forest management, pointing to a World Bank figure that聽聽of all greenhouse gas emissions come from deforestation and forest degradation.聽

聽鈥� Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation 鈥� has been implemented by several institutions to stimulate action on forest management and provide payment for ecoservices. Since the 2007 UNFCCC meeting in Bali, REDD programs have been adopted by the World Bank, the UN, and Norway鈥檚 International Climate and Forest Initiative to help manage forest resources and prevent emissions. Specifically, the program develops assessment tools to measure carbon emissions and supports the indigenous people whose lives depend on the forest. Taenzler highlighted the many benefits of adopting a REDD strategy as the pathway for managing global forests, including 鈥済enerating new opportunities for incomes, creating forest monitoring structures, building government institutions, and fostering cooperation as opposed to large-scale logging, mining, and exploitation.鈥�

But Taenzler also addressed the potential negative effects of the program: 鈥淔urther marginalization of forest-dwelling communities, increased corruption leading to unequal benefit sharing, and legal clashes stemming from unclear carbon ownership鈥� are all possible risks from adopting REDD on a greater scale.

Managing and Mitigating

To minimize the conflict from climate change responses in the energy sector, Webersik called for a focus 鈥渁way from corn and sugarcane鈥� and on to聽, such as algae grown in salt water and residue from the logging industry. He also stressed the need to experiment with carbon capture and storage and new energy efficiency techniques. 鈥淐limate change is a reality. Let鈥檚 get our focus back on adaptation and reducing the vulnerabilities in countries and increasing their resilience. This is also an opportunity to bring together the disaster community.鈥�

Similarly, 鈥渢here is a need for a conflict-sensitive approach when implementing REDD,鈥� said Taenzler. 鈥淲e need to focus on clarifying ownership and legal issues, installing transparent forms of benefit sharing, and ensuring international support for capacity building and REDD-readiness.鈥澛�

鈥淲e need much greater fluency and cooperation across communities and disciplines, much greater flexibility in program design and communication across offices,鈥� said Dabelko. 鈥淏ack up at the 30,000 foot view, [we need to] avoid the hyperbole in either direction that either the sky is falling or that there is no problem at all, which can set back the policy discussion.鈥�

Sources: The New York Times, World Bank.

Drafted by Jason Steimel and edited by Schuyler Null and Meaghan Parker