science and technology

COP26 Diplomatic Briefing Series: Climate Change and National Security

Research Event

25 March 2020 - 9:00am to 10:30am

Event participants

Lieutenant General Richard Nugee, Departmental Lead for Climate Change and Sustainability in the UK Ministry of Defence
Rear Admiral Neil Morisetti, Vice Dean (Public Policy) Engineering Sciences at the University College London and Associate Fellow at Chatham House
Dr. Patricia Lewis, Research Director for Conflict, Science and Technology, and Director of the International Security Programme at Chatham House
Professor Yacob Mulugetta, Professor of Energy and Development Policy at the University College London
Chair: Glada Lahn, Senior Research Fellow, Chatham House
Extreme weather, rising sea levels and a melting Arctic - the effects of climate change are posing an increasingly large threat to national security worldwide. Although the issue has gained traction within the international community in recent years, including within the UN Security Council, it is urgent that governments act more decisively to mitigate and respond to the threat, not least given that climate change is happening faster and in a more powerful way than originally anticipated.
 
The third event in the Chatham House COP26 Diplomatic Briefing Series – 'Climate Change and National Security' - will analyze how climate change acts as a threat multiplier, fuelling instability and endangering economic, social and political systems across the globe. The briefing will also provide recommendations of what governments and other stakeholders should do to develop effective responses.
 

Anna Aberg

Research Analyst, Energy, Environment and Resources Programme
020 7314 3629




science and technology

COP26 Diplomatic Briefing Series: Money Matters: Climate Finance and the COP

Research Event

20 April 2020 - 9:00am to 10:30am

Event participants

Tenzin Wangmo, Lead Negotiator of the Least Developed Countries (LDC) Group 
Mattias Frumerie, Director at the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs
Rachel Ward, Programme Director and Head of Policy at the Institutional Investors Group on Climate Change
Iseoluwa Akintunde, Mo Ibrahim Academy Fellow at Chatham House
Chair: Kirsty Hamilton, Associate Fellow, Chatham House

Finance plays a key role in enabling climate change mitigation and adaptation. It is also a contested issue in the UN climate negotiations. The fourth event in the Chatham House COP26 Diplomatic Briefing Series will explore the politics of climate finance in the context of the COP, and provide a comprehensive update of the main climate finance-related negotiation items and processes. The topic is particularly timely given that the UK Government has made climate finance one of its top thematic priorities for COP26 and that 2020 constitutes the deadline for developed countries to mobilise USD 100 billion per year to support climate action in developing countries.

Anna Aberg

Research Analyst, Energy, Environment and Resources Programme
020 7314 3629




science and technology

Privileging Local Food is Flawed Solution to Reduce Emissions

23 April 2020

Christophe Bellmann

Associate Fellow, Hoffmann Centre for Sustainable Resource Economy
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought food security and food imports to the forefront again. Some fear that the crisis could quickly strain global food supply chains as countries adopt new trade restrictions to avoid domestic food shortages.

2020-04-23-Trade-Food-Apples

Apples being picked before going into cold storage so they can be bought up until Christmas. Photo by Suzanne Kreiter/The Boston Globe via Getty Images.

The pressure of the coronavirus pandemic is adding to a widely held misconception that trade in food products is bad for the environment due to the associated ‘food miles’ – the carbon footprint of agricultural products transported over long distances.

This concept, developed by large retailers a decade ago, is often invoked as a rationale for restricting trade and choosing locally-produced food over imports. Consuming local food may seem sensible at first glance as it reduces the carbon footprint of goods and generates local employment. 

However, this assumption ignores the emissions produced during the production, processing or storage stages which often dwarf transport emissions. Other avenues to address the climate change impact of trade are more promising.

Demystifying food emissions

In the US, for example, food items travel more than 8,000 km on average before reaching the consumer. Yet transport only accounts for 11 per cent of total emissions with 83 per cent – mostly nitrous oxide (N2O) and methane (CH4) emissions – occurring at the production stage.

US Department of Agriculture data on energy use in the American food system echoes this finding, showing that processing, packaging, and selling of food represent ten times the energy used to transport food.

In practice, it may be preferable from an environmental perspective to consume lamb, onion or dairy products transported by sea because the lower emissions generated at the production stage offset those resulting from transport. Similarly, growing tomatoes under heated greenhouses in Sweden is often more emissions-intensive than importing open-grown ones from Southern Europe.

Seasonality also matters. British apples placed in storage for ten months leads to twice the level of emissions as that of South American apples sea-freighted to the UK. And the type of transport is also important as, overall, maritime transport generates 25 to 250 times less emissions than trucks, and air freight generates on average five times more emissions than road transport.

Therefore, air-freighted Kenyan beans have a much larger carbon footprint than those produced in the UK, but crossing Europe by truck to import Italian wine might generate more emissions than transatlantic shipments.

Finally, one should take into account the last leg of transport. A consumer driving more than 10 km to purchase 1 kg of fresh produce will generate proportionately more greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions than air-freighting 1 kg of produce from Kenya.

Shifting consumption towards local foods may reduce GHG emissions in sectors with relatively low emissions intensities but, when non-carbon dioxide emissions are taken into account, this is more often the exception than the rule.

Under these circumstances, preventing trade is an inefficient and expensive way of reducing GHG emissions. Bureau et al. for example, calculate that a global tariff maintaining the volume of trade at current levels until 2030 may reduce global carbon dioxide emissions by 3.5 per cent. However, this would be roughly seven times less than the full implementation of the Paris Agreement and cost equivalent to the current GDP of Brazil or 1.8 per cent of world GDP.

By preventing an efficient use of resources, such restrictions would also undermine the role of trade in offsetting possible climate-induced production shortfalls in some parts of the world and allowing people to access food when they can’t produce it themselves.

Reducing the climate footprint of trade

This is not to say that nothing should be done to tackle transport emissions. The OECD estimates that international trade-related freight accounted for over 5 per cent of total global fuel emissions with shipping representing roughly half of it, trucks 40 per cent, air 6 per cent and rail 2 per cent. With the projected tripling of freight transport by 2050, emissions from shipping are expected to rise between 50 and 250 per cent.

Furthermore, because of their international nature, these emissions are not covered by the Paris Agreement. Instead the two UN agencies regulating these sectors – the International Civil Aviation Organization and the International Maritime Organization – are responsible for reducing these emissions and, so far, significant progress has proven elusive.

Regional or bilateral free trade agreements to further stimulate trade could address this problem by exploiting comparative advantages. Impact assessments of those agreements often point towards increases in GHG emissions due to a boost in trade flows. In the future, such agreements could incorporate – or develop in parallel – initiatives to ensure carbon neutrality by connecting carbon markets among contracting parties or by taxing international maritime and air transport emissions.

Such initiatives could be combined with providing additional preferences in the form of enhanced market access to low-carbon food and healthier food. The EU, as one of the chief proponents of bilateral and regional trade agreements and a leader in promoting a transition to a low-carbon economy could champion such an approach.

This article is part of a series from the Chatham House Global Trade Policy Forum, designed to promote research and policy recommendations on the future of global trade. It is adapted from the research paper, Delivering Sustainable Food and Land Use Systems: The Role of International Trade, authored by Christophe Bellmann, Bernice Lee and Jonathan Hepburn.




science and technology

Christophe Bellmann

Associate Fellow, Hoffmann Centre for Sustainable Resource Economy

Biography

Christophe is a senior resident research associate at ICTSD with decades of experience working on international trade negotiations and policymaking from a sustainable development perspective.

He joined ICTSD in 1998 as programme officer for outreach and partnership, then became director of policy dialogues. Since 2002, he has been  programmes director.

He previously worked for the Swiss Coalition of Development Organisations (SCDO) where he was responsible for activities on multilateral trade and sustainable development issues, and has also worked as a research associate at the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) in Santiago, Chile on the relationship between trade and the environment.

Christophe has edited and published a wide range of books, articles and opinion pieces in English, French and Spanish on trade and sustainable development. His work focuses on international trade negotiations, development policies and environmental governance in areas such as agriculture and food security, fisheries, tariffs and non-tariff barriers, rules, regional trade, services and intellectual property rights.

He holds an MA in international relations from the Graduate Institute for International Studies in Geneva.




science and technology

Bem-vindo ao nosso novo website!

Nós gostaríamos de anunciar o lançamento de nosso novo website. Aqui você poderá encontrar informações sobre as nossas últimas novidades e serviços. Nossa meta primária é mantê-lo informado sobre nossos produtos, serviços e promoções. Os nossos clientes são o nosso maior tesouro, e por isso fazemos todo o possível para tratá-lo como parte de nossa família.




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Envie-nos a sua avaliação de nossos serviços

Você utilizou os nossos serviços e já tem algo a dizer sobre nós? Por favor, não hesite em nos enviar os seus comentários para que possamos continuar a aprimorar o nosso atendimento.




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Climate Change and Migration Dynamics

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Improving the Governance of International Migration

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Migration and Environmental Change: Assessing the Developing European Approach

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Environmental Change and Migration: What We Know

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What We Know About Migration and Development

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Human Rights, Climate Change, Environmental Degradation and Migration: A New Paradigm

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Human Rights, Climate Change, Environmental Degradation and Migration: A New Paradigm

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science and technology

Human Rights, Climate Change, Environmental Degradation and Migration: A New Paradigm

This MPI event, in partnership with the International Organization for Migration (IOM), discusses the critical issue of climate-related displacement in the Asia-Pacific region, focusing on the vulnerability of environmental migrants and how the international legal framework can better ensure their protection.




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Protection in Crisis: Forced Migration and Protection in a Global Era

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Redefining Nepal: Internal Migration in a Post-Conflict, Post-Disaster Society

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Climate Change and Natural Disasters Displace Millions, Affect Migration Flows

From earthquakes to drought, natural disasters and climate change played a key role in migration flows in 2015. Climate-induced migration surfaced as a concern at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (known as COP21) as international organizations and policymakers have begun to recognize the growing challenges, and potential protection obligations, of such movement.




science and technology

A New Era in Refugee Protection and Migration Management? Looking Forward After UN Summit on Refugees and Migrants

MPI experts discuss the outcomes from the UN Summit on Large Movements of Refugees and Migrants and President Obama's Leaders Summit on the Global Refugee Crisis and what it means for international cooperation on refugee protection and management of migration flows.




science and technology

With Millions Displaced by Climate Change or Extreme Weather, Is There a Role for Labor Migration Pathways?

Climate-related displacement is not hypothetical: An average of 21.5 million people per year have been displaced since 2008 by natural disasters, and thousands more have fled slow-onset environmental hazards. While migration can serve as a safety valve to adapt to changing conditions, few orderly, legal channels exist for climate migrants (also known as environmental migrants), as this article explores.




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Spiraling Violence and Drought Drive Refugee Crisis in South Sudan

Nearly 4 million South Sudanese have been driven from their homes by violence or food insecurity since late 2013, roughly half seeking refuge in neighboring countries. Drought and conflict have converged in the young country to fuel one of the world's most severe humanitarian emergencies. This article examines refugee flows from South Sudan, underlying drivers, and regional and international responses to the crisis.




science and technology

No Retreat: Climate Change and Voluntary Immobility in the Pacific Islands

While media and academic discussions of "climate refugees" paint a picture of mass displacement of millions, in reality many communities vulnerable to climate change may choose to stay as a result of strong cultural, historical, and spiritual attachments to place. This article explores this "voluntary immobility" and its implications in the Pacific Islands.




science and technology

When Disaster Strikes: Responding to Migrants Caught in Crises

Migrants displaced by crisis do not benefit from international protection the way that refugees do. This article examines the experiences of labor migrants amid manmade and natural disasters in the Central African Republic, Côte d’Ivoire, Lebanon, Libya, South Africa, and Thailand, as well as stakeholder responses. Research demonstrates the agency and resilience of migrants, who develop flexible solutions in the face of crisis.




science and technology

Indonesia: A Country Grappling with Migrant Protection at Home and Abroad

Indonesia, which has a long history as a major origin for migrant labor in the Asia-Pacific and beyond, more recently has reluctantly found itself a transit and destination country, including for asylum seekers. Still, policymakers remain focused on protection of its nationals abroad rather than on assuring the status of Chinese and other foreigners in the country. This country profile explores Indonesia's rich migration history. 

 




science and technology

A Conversation with António Vitorino, the Director General of the International Organization for Migration

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Many Psychology Experiments Lack Evidence of Validity, Says Report

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An examination of nearly 350 published psychological experiments found that nearly half failed to show that they were based on a valid foundation of empirical evidence, suggesting that a wide swath of psychological science may be based on an "untested foundation."






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How One Woman Fled Domestic Violence During COVID-19 Pandemic

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When the coronavirus initially hit Colorado in early March, many flocked to grocery stores and cleared shelves, preparing to hunker down in their homes. But for Jeara and her four young children, those first days of the pandemic were different: They were settling into a domestic violence shelter after an incident involving her husband days earlier.






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Often Overlooked Learning Disorder May Affect Millions of Kids

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New research suggests nonverbal learning disability, a poorly understood and often-overlooked disorder that causes problems with visual-spatial processing, may affect nearly 3 million children in the United States alone.






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George W. Bush Calls for an End to Partisanship in Fight Against Virus

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Former U.S. President George W. Bush has called for an end to partisanship in the nation's continued battle against the coronavirus, urging Americans to "remember that empathy and simple kindness are essential powerful tools of national recovery."






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Human Needs Drive Rise in Gardening, and How to Start One

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Signs Your COVID-19 Anxiety Has Become Unhealthy, and What to Do

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Climate Change and COVID-19: Five Charts That Explain the Impacts

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U.N. Chief Says Disabled People Should Be Included in COVID-19 Plans

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With Engaged Parenting, "Terrible Twos" Are Not Inevitable

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Nearly 20,000 Teens in Georgia Receive Licenses Without a Road Test

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Calls to European Domestic Violence Hotlines Soar Amid Lockdowns

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Research Uses Artificial Intelligence to Measure Human Emotions

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Navajo Nation Reels Under Weight of Coronavirus and History of Neglect

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The Navajo Nation now has the highest per-capita coronavirus infection rate after New York and New Jersey, but it has a fraction of the resources to treat and prevent the pandemic. "This has got to end," said president Jonathan Nez after federal relief funds arrived six weeks after they were promised and a week after the U.S. government missed a congressional deadline for distribution.






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Women and children are experiencing unprecedented levels of abuse and violence at home as stress and anxiety continue to mount due to the pandemic. Data from the United Nations reveal a 600% increase in the number women who have experienced partner violence, and projections suggest that if coronavirus lockdowns continue for six more months, there will be an estimated 31 million additional domestic violence cases around the world.






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French Philosopher Latour Urges No Return to Pre-Lockdown Normal

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What If You Don't Want to Go Back to the Office?

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For Jeff Anderson, working from home during the pandemic has offered a break from office politics. But as the push to reopen the country's economy intensifies, so do feelings of dread at the idea of returning to the office, said Anderson, a self-described introvert and anthropology professor. And Anderson isn't alone. A Gallup poll found that most U.S. adults working from home would prefer to keep doing so "as much as possible" after the...






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