We need to address the link between climate change and security, say participants at OSCE Security Days event

VIENNA, 28 October 2015 – There is an urgent need to deepen understanding of the security implications of climate change and to recognize the security benefits of climate change mitigation and adaption, said OSCE Secretary General Lamberto Zannier today as he opened an OSCE Security Days event in Vienna devoted to the unprecedented impacts and unpredictable risks posed by this global challenge.

“It is widely acknowledged that climate change is a threat multiplier, posing significant and growing risks to security,” said Zannier. “Therefore we are here to search for the best approaches to minimize the security risks of climate change in the OSCE region and beyond.”  

Zannier noted that climate change is a global problem requiring co-operation at all levels. “If we take our mandate as a regional security organization seriously, we must address climate change and make it a priority in our efforts to ensure security and stability for our participating States. Anything less would be irresponsible.”

Professor Jeffrey D. Sachs, Special Advisor to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on the Millennium Development Goals, said, “true solutions to the problems we face today are regional.” He added that “the OSCE has an important role to play in the implementation of the Sustainable Development Agenda and addressing climate change.”

Referring to the upcoming Paris climate change conference (30 November – 11 December 2015), Andrä Rupprechter, Austrian Federal Minister for Agriculture, Forestry, Environment and Water Management, said, “there is a need for a legally binding agreement in Paris with maximum ambition.”

“We believe that the OSCE’s comprehensive approach to security can help to counteract potential threats from climate change long before they endanger the stability of our countries,” said Ambassador Vuk Žugić, Chairperson of the OSCE Permanent Council. Noting that the annual OSCE Ministerial Council will take place in Belgrade on 3-4 December 2015, he added that “today’s discussions have certainly given us valuable food for thought for potential Ministerial Council decisions in the OSCE’s Economic and Environmental Dimension.”

More than 140 participants representing OSCE participating States and Partners for Co-operation, senior representatives of governments, regional and international organizations, NGOs, the academic community and the media participated in this Security Days event, engaging in an open and interactive debate about the impacts and risks of climate change for security and the role of the OSCE.