Dispute Resolution as a Tool for Transboundary Adaptation

Joseph Siegel, Haub School of Law at Pace University (United States)

Climate change-related extreme weather disasters and slow-onset events can transcend national borders. These transboundary climate risks are often overlooked in national adaptation planning and can result in negative impacts to neighboring countries and lead to conflict. Similarly, countries that attempt to collaborate on transboundary risk can find themselves in conflict either during negotiations or during implementation of an agreement. The parties to the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) have begun to recognize the importance of addressing transboundary climate risk but the connection to potential conflict and the need for conflict resolution strategies is largely absent from the discussion. This presentation will explore opportunities to connect transboundary risk, conflict, and conflict prevention and resolution through the UNFCCC architecture.