Climate change, environmental degradation and conflict

Across the world, climate change and environmental degradation have sweeping impact on local communities. In areas affected by ongoing conflict like the Sahel, the Horn of Africa, and parts of the Middle East, they are causing mass food insecurity, displacing millions, undermining human security, and increasing the risks of further escalations. Meanwhile, conflict itself is diminishing people’s ability to adapt to major environmental challenges, such as desertification, salinisation and land erosion.

Interrupting this cycle of environmental breakdown and insecurity requires simultaneous and coordinated action in both the climate and the conflict pillars. This online event will convene high-level actors across policy, practice and academia, to explore how to accelerate adaptation and ecosystem restoration, while working to end violent conflict and create sustainable peace, with reflections on how developments at COP27 can be harnessed to this end.

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Introductory remarks by Andrea Meza Murillo, Deputy Executive Secretary of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification

Speakers:

• Prof. Michael Obersteiner, Director of the Environmental Change Institute at the University of Oxford
• Dr. Muralee Thummarukudy, Director of the G20 Global Initiative on Reducing Land Degradation and Enhancing Conservation of Terrestrial Habitats
• Janani Vivekananda, Head of Climate Diplomacy and Security Programme at adelphi

Moderated by Andrew Gilmour, Executive Director of the Berghof Foundation.

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About the event

The event is organised by the Berghof Foundation in cooperation with the Environmental Change Institute at the University of Oxford. We are grateful for the participation and support of UNCCD, adelphi and WWF.

50 Years Berghof Foundation

The Berghof Foundation marked its 50th anniversary in 2021. The Special Event Series we were holding throughout the year to reflect on past and current peacebuilding successes and challenges, is continuing in the year 2022. 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.