Brussels, 20/07/2015 (Agence Europe) - Climate change is both a global challenge requiring urgent address and a security challenge that the EU is determined to integrate in its foreign policy, the Council of the EU stated on Monday 20 July.
The conclusions on climate diplomacy, adopted without debate on the sidelines of the foreign ministers meeting, recall the conclusions of the intergovernmental panel on climate change (IPCC). According to the IPCC's conclusions, if climate change is not correctly managed, it could endanger not only the environment but also economic prosperity, poverty reductions, sustainable development and - more broadly - peace, stability and security at global level.
The Council says it is committed “to addressing the security dimension of climate change, including by building up its climate diplomacy component”. It welcomes the publication of the G7 report - “A new climate for peace” - which was commissioned under the UK G7 presidency and completed under the German G7 presidency. The Council also welcomes the UN Security Council debate on 30 June initiated by Spain on the role of climate change as a threat multiplier for global security. The Council is now looking forward to an update of the 2009 report of the UN secretary general - “Climate change and its possible security implications”. Since January, the EU has intensified political dialogue with a great number of countries in order to mobilise goodwill and work towards success of the Paris climate conference (see EUROPE 11234). This is climate diplomacy. (Aminata Niang)