A Tale of Two Insecurities: Why the Paris COP Has So Little to Do with Climate Change Impacts on Human Security and What We Can Do About It

Nov 24, 2015 | Columbia University
New York City, USA
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Join EPS Professors Marc Levy and Josh Fisher in a discussion about the current global context of climate disarray in the lead up to the Paris Climate Negotiations in December. Levy, who will be attending the summit, has been a vocal commentator on the climate-security agenda in national forums, like his testimony to Congressand in multiple public lectures.

This event is a unique opportunity to speak directly with Levy and Fisher in an open discussion about the latest research and policy linking climate and security. Participants are encouraged to ask questions and engage in the pressing issues raised by Levy and Fisher.

The event will open with Levy discussing how the climate-security agenda has evolved and his concern of what will, and what will not, be on the agenda at the Paris COP in December. In his opening short remarks, he will address converging security concerns, the challenges reflected in countries like Syria, and the growing movement to make rapid progress on the things that need to be done but which processes like the Paris Conference are not addressing.

Building off Levy’s assessment, Fisher will trace the recent development of alternative institutional arrangements and frameworks aimed at managing conflict associated with climate change and its drivers and building resilience into national and international communities. Examples from the renewable resource and non-renewable sectors like carbon financing under REDD+ frameworks, the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil, the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative provide useful insight into structures and processes that can help prevent the development of new security dilemmas in an era of climate change and commodity price volatility. Fisher will discuss several of these, and explore how we can build institutions and processes to navigate the new security challenges we face.

Fisher and Levy hope that participants will pose questions and discuss their views on what makes these questions have special urgency and share ideas about how society should be taking action.