Climate Diplomacy Podcast
Climate Diplomacy
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The Climate Diplomacy Podcast gives insights into the latest developments in international climate diplomacy and security. Our hosts Raquel Munayer and Alexandra Steinkraus interview experts and practitioners on their take on climate foreign policy, climate-related impacts to security, and promoting peace and resilience in a changing climate. Together we look into climate-fragility, migration, food insecurity, gender dynamics and much more, not to mention our deep dive into countries and regions. For more information, please visit climate-diplomacy.org or follow @ClimateDiplo on Twitter.
Available episodes
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Nov 6, 2023
Episode 35: Damage control: Unpacking rules and recommendations to protect the environment during armed conflict
So much can be said about how war and conflict disrupt the environment. The effects on human lives are excruciating and long-lived, making environmental protection a priority for human security - even in armed conflicts. On this International Day for Preventing the Exploitation of the Environment in War, we’ve partnered with PAX to put together an episode looking at how rules and recommendations can help protect the environment in armed conflict under international law and create precedents for prevention. Join our guests Wim Zwijnenburg (PAX) and Helen Obregón Gieseken (ICRC) for this exciting conversation.
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Oct 13, 2023
Episode 34: SPECIAL EDITION: Displacement, migration and how funding can reach those who need it
COP28 is around the corner, and everyone wants to know: how will the conversations around finance for climate-affected states, which officially kicked off in Sharm El-Sheikh last November, pick up in Dubai?
In this special edition of the #ClimateDiploPod, we go on a deep dive on climate, development and humanitarian funding with Andrew Harper, Special Advisor on Climate Action to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. Together, we look into the current state of so many displaced communities around the world, speak about some of the issues standing on the way of finance reaching affected communities, and why finance distribution and use is fairer and more efficient when women, youth and indigenous communities have access to it.
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Aug 2, 2023
Episode 33: Integrating climate security in peacebuilding: Meet the Weathering Risk Peace Pillar
The Peace Pillar initiative, launched in 2022, is sharing and elevating evidence-based recommendations in mainstreaming climate-security to support sustainable peace processes on the ground. It is guided by the analytical approach of Weathering Risk and translates climate-security foresight and analysis into peacebuilding action where it’s needed the most. In this episode, you will hear from Peace Pillar project partners on how the project is being implemented in Iraq, Yemen, Somalia, Nigeria and the Bay of Bengal.
Discover the Weathering Risk Peace Pillar
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Jun 20, 2023
Episode 32: Farmer-herder conflicts: Climate change is the straw that broke the camel’s back
If you work with climate, environment, development, humanitarian assistance or adjacent areas, you have certainly come across this particular type of conflict. But is climate change and environmental degradation really to blame? Join our hosts, Raquel Munayer and Alexandra Steinkraus, in a chat that looks into the post-colonial elements influencing conflicts between farmers and herders, where climate and environment come in, and what are climate-sensitive options for building sustainable peace.
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May 25, 2023
Episode 31: From advocates to experts: Youth leadership on peace, gender and migration
In this episode, we are joined by Khouloud Ben Mansour, African Youth Ambassador for Peace with the African Union for North Africa and activist for women's and children's rights from Tunisia, to discuss migration, youth and gender in North African and beyond. We cover drivers of migration in the region, gender-based risks, and how to move beyond beyond giving marginalised groups a seat at the table. The conversation also delves into what it means to be a youth ambassador, the importance of youth as experts, peacebuilders and in spaces like COP28 as well as highlights from Tunisia's recent chairmanship of the Peace and Security Council of the African Union Commission.
Learn more about climate change and security in North Africa.
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Apr 18, 2023
Episode 30: A sea of opportunity: Climate justice, grassroots movements and interregional cooperation in the Caribbean
In this episode, Christianne Zakour, Advocate for Environmental Governance and Climate Justice, joins us to discuss shared challenges amongst Small Island Developing States, the potential for more interregional knowledge sharing and climate justice. She shares insights from her work in the Caribbean and the Caribbean Tree Planting Project and her recent term as a steering committee member of the UNEP Major Group of Children and Youth. Tune in for her thoughts on the recently passed landmark UN resolution for climate justice and what this could mean for progress in the coming years.
Learn more about the Caribbean Tree Planting Project
More information about climate fragility in the Caribbean
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Mar 23, 2023
Episode 29: Resilience gone wrong: Maladaptation as a side-effect of neglecting climate vulnerability
Join our hosts, Raquel Munayer and Alexandra Steinkraus, for a conversation on how maladaptation makes communities even more vulnerable, rather than less, to climate change. Insights from Afghanistan, Colombia, Mali and the Pacific illustrate ways that negligence and poorly planned policies can lead to increased climate security risks, strengthened criminal networks, bolstered recruitment and support for armed opposition groups, and increased conflict between communities. They also highlight the need for timely action that is climate, conflict and context sensitive.
Find out more:
weatheringrisk.org
adelph.it/DangerousClimate
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Feb 14, 2023
Episode 28: News from the frontline: Why narrative matters when reporting on the climate-conflict nexus
Reporting on the climate and environmental crises is increasingly a risky endeavour – even more so where insecurity and conflict are present. Environmental Journalist and Consultant Peter Schwartzstein spoke about the perils of covering the climate-conflict nexus in places like Syria and Iraq, why concise narratives matter for boosting action, and what he is up to in his upcoming book ‘The Heat and The Fury’.
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Jan 24, 2023
Episode 27: HoP(ping) into the new year: A 2023 outlook on climate, peace and security
Join us for a conversation with our Heads of Programme (HoPs) for Climate Diplomacy and Security, Janani Vivekananda and Benjamin Pohl, as we reflect on highlights from 2022 – from the launch of the Climate for Peace Initiative at BCSC 2022 to the establishment of the Loss and Damage Fund at COP27 – and identify developments to watch (and be hopeful about) for 2023. All eyes are on actions that will better multilateral cooperation and local-informed action, and drive peace positive climate action.
Videos worth watching:
Launch of the Climate for Peace Initiative
Official side event on Climate for Peace at COP27
Creating a Climate for Peace at COP
Best of BCSC 2022
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Dec 16, 2022
Episode 26: Revisiting roles: The evolution of climate, peace and security in the UNSC and beyond
In this episode, we speak with Hafsa Maalim, one of the panel discussants at the 29 November UNSC meeting on climate, peace and security, to discuss the evolution of the understanding of Climate, Peace and Security (CPS) in the Security Council and how increased awareness of how climate, security and peacebuilding interact can offer a basis for additional tools and entry points to better achieve its mandate. She discusses how well-intentioned initiatives can actually meet the needs of communities, the importance of explicit mandates and reflects on the next steps in the CPS debate in the new year.
Further links:
Watch the Arria-Formula meeting on Climate, Peace and Security
More information about the Climate for Peace Initiative
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Nov 18, 2022
Episode 25: BCSC and beyond: Looking back at the Berlin Climate and Security Conference 2022
In this episode, Alina Viehoff joins one of our hosts, Alexandra Steinkraus, to discuss all things BCSC. As members of the organising team, together they discuss the key takeaways—from the need for better financing to the importance of inclusivity, equity and diversity, the Launch of the Climate for Peace Initiative and how to channel this agenda for action in support of an ambitious and successful COP27.
Further links:
Watch the livestreamed and digital sessions | Climate for Peace Initiative | BCSC Conference Summary
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Oct 14, 2022
Episode 24: Eco wars & wasted havens: can international environmental law curb the impacts of conflicts on nature?
In this episode, we are joined by Philippa Nuttall for a conversation on the impacts of war and conflict on nature, and about what can and is being done in the realm of international environmental law to counter-act these issues. She tells us about the weaponization of the environment in Ukraine, which has been ongoing already since 2014, discusses the concept of eco wars, and shares her thoughts on the development of international environmental law.
Learn more about the environmental impacts of war and conflict in the joint WWF-adelphi report 'The Nature of Conflict and Peace'.
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Sep 6, 2022
Episode 23: Anticipating risk: applying foresight to tackle disaster-induced food insecurity
Beyond its reactive role as a humanitarian agency, the World Food Programme (WFP) looks increasingly to preventative and anticipatory measures to hinder and reduce the impacts of climate-related disaster. Gernot Laganda, Chief of Climate and Disaster Risk Reduction at the WFP, brings some lessons from the field, suggest strategies to increase the resilience of food systems, and lets funding partners what they can do to support integration across programmes.
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Jul 26, 2022
Episode 22: Syria's poisoned earth: how war impacts the environment and the lives that depend on it
It seems counter-intuitive to talk about environmental issues in Syria, in the face of overwhelming human suffering. Yet, human life requires functioning ecosystems, and over 10 years of war has left Syria's water and land in shambles. This episode's guest, Loujein Haj Youssef, Editor-in-Chief at the independent Syrian news platform Rozana Radio, conducted an investigation into the specific environmental impacts caused by several parties involded in the war, and what the concrete consequences are for the local population today and in the future. You can read the full article on the investigation here.
Learn more about the environmental impacts of war and conflict in the joint WWF-adelphi report 'The Nature of Conflict and Peace'.
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Jun 16, 2022
Episode 21: Who's not at the table? Intersectional environmentalism, climate justice and why it's worth fighting for Utopia
In this episode, we discuss feminist foreign policy, intersectional environmentalism, climate justice and how they are all interrelated. We offer a deep-dive into feminist foreign policy and feminist climate policy and explore why they´re important in light of climate security and climate justice. Finally, we speak about activism and why it´s worth fighting for Utopia.
Interviewee: Sheena Anderson, Project Manager, Centre for Feminist Foreign Policy
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May 23, 2022
Episode 20: When a country mandate includes climate language: lessons from UNSOM
In this episode, we discover what happens when the UN includes climate and environmental risks into a country mandate. Somalia is one of the first political missions to have climate and environmental language included in its mandate – and language has power.
As a result, Somalia is the ground for several climate initiatives, ranging from risk assessment to capacity-building. One of the most pioneer initiatives includes the introduction of a Climate Security Advisor – the first of its kind in the UN system, a role fulfilled by this episode’s guest Christophe Hodder.
For an overview of the activities and initiatives UNSOM has implemented in order to address the links between climate change, environment and conflict, access: https://adelph.it/UNSOMclim
For an overview of projected climate parameters and related impacts on different sectors from now until 2080, access: https://adelph.it/WRSomalia
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Apr 21, 2022
Episode 19: Regional cooperation for climate security: a look into the Horn of Africa
In this episode, we speak with Ayan Mahamoud, Senior Coordinator of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), a regional economic community with eight member states in the Horn of Africa. She walks us through some the region’s key climate-related risks to peace and security, and how IGAD is working to address these risks within the regional security cooperation framework. Ayan highlights success stories and some of the areas where investments and improvements are still needed to boost the region’s security and development.
Download CSEN’s Horn of Africa policy paper
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Mar 1, 2022
Episode 18: Climate Security and the Tyranny of the Immediate in Libya
In this episode, recorded just after the startling assassination attempt of the Libyan prime minister, we discuss climate security risks in Libya and how they are shaped by the country’s complicated political history. We hear how a weak social contract and large administration leave little space for development spending and the private sector, hindering the country’s energy transition. Furthermore, we discuss Europe’s responsibility as a major consumer of Libyan oil, and how it is critical to work on all entry-points in parallel and emphasise co-benefits of climate action for the economy and legitimacy of government.
Interviewee: Matthew Brubacher, former Economic Advisor to the UN Support Mission in Libya.
Read the risk brief here: https://adelph.it/LibyaClimRisk
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Dec 20, 2021
Episode 17: What a Year! Looking Back at Climate Diplomacy and Climate Security in 2021
This podcast episode looks back at progress, achievements and developments regarding climate diplomacy and security throughout the year 2021. It celebrates successes and discusses challenges, focusing on the most relevant and important events such as COP26, the journey of a topical UN Security Council resolution, the EU climate law, BCSC 2021 and many more.
Interviewees: Hannah Elisabeth Kurnoth, Consultant, adelphi; Raquel Munayer, Consultant, adelphi
Further information:
* Berlin Climate and Security Conference 2021 summary and recordings
* Transatlantic Climate Bridge
* COP26 event "Climate, Peace and Stability: Weathering Risk Through COP and Beyond"
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Nov 29, 2021
Episode 16: Climate-related security risks as an opportunity for mediation?
This special podcast episode, recorded live at the 2021 Berlin Climate Security Conference, explores how to integrate climate security into mediation and peacebuilding. Our expert panellists highlight a range of issues, including how climate risks can provide an entry point for mediation, how communities must be empowered with knowledge on climate security, and that more integration is needed between international peace building and climate action.
Interviewees: Michael Keating, Executive Director of the European Institute of Peace (EIP) and Janel Galvanek, Head of Sub-Saharan Africa Unit at the Berghof Foundation.
Moderator: Janani Vivekananda, Head of the Climate Security and Diplomacy Programme at adelphi.
More information: Live video recording
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Nov 9, 2021
Episode 15: Climate Security around the world: examples of locally informed solutions - live from #BCSC 2021
In this special episode, recorded live at the Berlin Climate and Security Conference 2021, we explore climate-related security risks and entry-points in three key regions: Southern Africa, the Arctic, and the Horn of Africa. We hear from the regional experts Ottilia Anna Maunganidze (Institute for Security Studies), Marisol Maddox (Wilson Center), and Sagal Abshir (The Clean Fight). They highlight what is unique about each region, and what unites them – particularly the need for locally-informed solutions. You can also watch this episode: https://youtu.be/qaVYnj8owGM
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Oct 19, 2021
Episode 14: Setting the scene: EU climate diplomacy in a post-Covid-19 world
The European Parliament issued a resolution on climate diplomacy in 2018. Since then, the policy landscape has evolved rapidly with the development of the European Green Deal, as well as the pandemic and ongoing efforts for a green post-Covid recovery. In this episode, Dennis Tänzler and Daria Ivleva highlight findings of their recent report on EU climate diplomacy, identifying progress made and tasks for the Parliament going forward. Key topics to consider include trade policy and finance, gender equality, and tackling climate security risks.
Read the risk brief here: https://adelph.it/EUclimadiplo
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Sep 1, 2021
Episode 13: What happens in the Arctic doesn’t stay in the Arctic
The Arctic is experiencing anthropogenic climate change at three times the global rate of change. Its sea ice minimum reached its second lowest level on record in 2020. Marisol Maddox, author of the CSEN risk brief on the Arctic, walks us through the critical climate-related breaking points the region is experiencing and why it matters for the whole world. She further elaborates on the geopolitical implications of these dynamics, also looking at opportunities.
Read the risk brief here: https://adelph.it/ClimArctic
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Aug 12, 2021
Episode 12: Old narratives die hard: Rethinking climate-induced human mobility
Climate-induced mobility is more than sudden displacement. It is also a consequence of slow-onset changes, structural shortcomings and governance failures. Luckily, the opportunities for addressing it and adapting to its impacts are just as diverse. Beatrice Mosello and Gareth Price, authors of the report “Rethinking mobility in the face of global changes”, give insights into climate-related mobility, focusing on Central Asia and Bangladesh.
Download the CASCADES report here: https://adelph.it/CascadesMig
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Jul 20, 2021
Episode 11: South Asia on the brink: A look at climate change to help address the region's compound fragilities
South Asia is one of the most climate-vulnerable regions in the world. Parts of the region are characterised by a high level of political instability and socio-economic backwardness. This convergence implies that climate change not only undermines human security, but could also heighten conflict risks. On the one hand, the region lacks the resources and capacities to cope with worsening first and second order impacts of climate change; on the other, climate change is increasingly interacting with socio-economic, demographic and political factors to compound fragility risks in the region. Together with Dhanasree Jayaram, author of the Climate Fragility Risk Brief on South Asia and Assistant Professor at the Centre for Climate Studies of Manipal Academy of Higher Education in India, we discuss climate fragility pathways for the region and possible solutions to address them. This episode also highlights, why and how climate change can be a peace-keeping tool and why conflicts in the regio…
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Jun 28, 2021
Episode 10: Digging into food insecurity and climate change - Root causes and how (not) to solve it
This episode digs into the food insecurity-climate change nexus. It looks at how vulnerable agriculture is to a rapidly and erratically changing climate, but at the same time, how much it contributes to it. We discuss some of the narratives around food security and the environmental systems needed for food production. This episode is a special edition ahead of the UN Food Systems Summit 2021. The summit aims to awaken the world to the fact that we all must work together to transform the way the world produces, consumes, and thinks about food.
More: https://adelph.it/BeyondSupply
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May 27, 2021
Episode 9: Episode 9: Let´s talk about Mali: The impacts of climate change on insecurity and gender inequality
In this episode we speak about climate fragility risks in Mali together with Chitra Nagarajan, author of the climate fragility risk brief on Mali.
During the interview, we hear her insights on how climate change is projected to affect Mali and learn more about the five pathways through which climate change impacts fragility in Mali. She also offers recommendations on how to address them. Moreover, as one of Chitra Nagarajan´s focus topics, this episode takes a closer look at gender dynamics with regard to climate security. Chitra Nagarajan is an independent researcher and member of the climate security expert network. In her work, she focuses on civilian protection, climate change, conflict analysis and sensitivity, gender and social inclusion, peacebuilding and human rights, particularly those of women and girls.
You can download her climate fragility risk brief about Mali here: https://adelph.it/MaliClimRisks
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May 4, 2021
Episode 8: Hot days ahead: How climate impacts are pushing Afghanistan’s multiple burdens to the brink
For over 42 years, Afghanistan has endured nearly constant armed conflict, whether in the form of revolution, occupation, extremism or insurgency. This has taken a tremendous toll in human terms, but it has also exerted a powerful brake on the country’s development. Many Afghans are highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change as a result of their exposure to droughts, floods and other natural disasters as well as their reliance on climate-sensitive livelihoods such as rain-fed agriculture and pastoralism. Meanwhile, the legacy of over four decades of conflict has increased Afghanistan’s vulnerability to climate change.
In this episode, we look at Afghanistan and discuss how climate impacts are pushing its multiple burdens to the brink and what the Afghan government and international community could and should do to address the security risks presented by climate change. Our guest is Oli Brown, Associate Fellow at Chatham House and author of the climate-fragility risk brief…
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Apr 19, 2021
Episode 7: Does China's Belt and Road initiative put the brakes on decarbonisation? The case of Kazakhstan
The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is a prime example of how decarbonisation processes interact with geopolitics. China’s support to energy, transportation and industrial projects influence emissions trajectories of the partner countries, and investments often underpin the geopolitical aspirations of China and its partners. The specific projects and geopolitical context vary across the different target countries and regions, and, therefore, so do their potential implications for climate action. This episode looks at China-financed projects in Kazakhstan and seeks to explore the dynamics of decarbonisation and geopolitics.
Interview partner for this episode is Daria Ivleva, author of the MISTRA Geopolitics report “The Belt and Road Initiative in Kazakhstan: Does the geopolitics of China’s outward investments put the brakes on decarbonisation?”.
You can download the full report here: https://adelph.it/BRIReport
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Mar 19, 2021
Episode 6: COVID and Climate Security
The COVID-19 pandemic has profound global impacts. While all countries have been affected, the pandemic is hitting those that were already struggling with poverty, conflict and the impacts of climate change especially hard. This podcast episode seeks to explore these dynamics by interviewing the authors of the Climate Security Expert Network Report “Spreading Disease, Spreading Conflict? COVID-19, Climate Change and Security Risks.” Download the report here: https://adelph.it/COVIDClimFragility
This episode features the report's authors discussing the intersection of health, climate and conflict risks and explaining four key pathways through which COVID-19 can exacerbate climate-related security risks.
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Dec 11, 2020
Episode 5: We Need To Talk: Changing Climate, Changing Conflicts
This podcast features Andrew Gilmour, Executive Director of the Berghof Foundation, and Janani Vivekananda, Senior Advisor at adelphi, in an intimate fireside chat. Moderated by renowned mediator and former diplomat Günther Baechler, they discuss why and how climate change and environmental considerations should be an integral part of conflict analysis and peacebuilding processes. The speakers’ vast experiences seeing first-hand the effects of climate change on conflict dynamics around the world allows for an interesting and lively discussion about climate change in peacebuilding.
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Jul 18, 2019
Episode 4: Foreign Affairs and the 2030 Agenda
The world needs to undergo a deep, transformative change to achieve sustainability. Yet, progress on many of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals of the 2030 Agenda is lagging while the willingness to cooperate internationally often seems to be waning. Foreign policy must help bridge this gap, ensuring ambition and providing guidance. In this episode of the Climate Diplomacy Podcast, host Martin Wall discusses the role of foreign affairs in the global sustainability architecture with Daria Ivleva, one of the editors of adelphi’s recent publication Driving Transformative Change: Foreign Affairs and the Agenda 2030. Read: https://adelph.it/SDGdiplomacyCD
Interviewee: Daria Ivleva, adelphi
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Apr 29, 2019
Episode 3: Populism and Climate Change
Right-wing populist parties are already part of the governments of seven EU member states and are expected to make up a quarter of MEPs after the European elections in May 2019. The dwindling trust of citizens in democratic institutions and in Europe, the re-sorting of party spectrums, the declining influence of traditional popular parties as well as the emergence of multi-party coalitions and minority governments will all make governance increasingly difficult. At the same time, we are experiencing a profound transformation of life, work and mobility through digitalisation, urbanisation and climate change.
In this episode host Martin Wall talks to the authors of an explorative study on the the voices and the weight of right-wing populist parties in the formulation of European climate policy. Read the study: https://adelph.it/convenienttruthstudy
Interviewees: Stella Schaller and Alexander Carius, adelphi
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Apr 5, 2019
Episode 2: #Doable - The Planetary Security Conference 2019
The Planetary Security Conference brings together experts, policy makers and politicians from around the world to discuss how best to tackle the security risks of climate change. The conference also reports on progress towards meeting the ambitions of The Hague Declaration which set out an action agenda for the community of practice on climate security. This year we spent some time interviewing some of the participants to get their insights into how climate change affects international and human security.
Interviewees include:
Alexander Carius - Managing Director, adelphi
Dhanasree Jayaram - Assistant Professor, Manipal Academy of Higher Education in India
Camilla Born - Senior Policy Advisor, E3G and SIPRI Senior Fellow
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Feb 27, 2019
Episode 1: The UNSC's role in addressing climate related security risks
With climate change increasingly being seen as a security issue, we ask what role the United Nations Security Council could and should play. To answer this question, we are joined on the Climate Diplomacy podcast by UN expert and Chatham House Associate Fellow Oli Brown. In this podcast, Oli explains some of the challenges that the UN Security Council has had in tackling climate change and outlines the prospects for action in the future.
Find out more in the CSEN Policy Paper: 'What Can the UN Security Council Do on Climate and Security?': https://adelph.it/UNSCCSEN
Martin Wall is an Irish Research Council/European Commission funded Marie Curie CAROLINE Fellow who is currently seconded to adelphi and contributes to the Climate Diplomacy Project. He is funded through the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement No 713279.
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