INSSSL hosts first South Asian workshop on Climate and Resource Security

The Institute of National Security Studies Sri Lanka (INSSSL) together with the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS), Regional Project Energy Security and Climate Change (Hong Kong) and the Centre for South Asian Studies (Nepal), jointly conducted a timely and relevant workshop on ‘Climate Change and Resources Security: Challenges for Security and the Security Sector in South Asia’, at the Hilton hotel Colombo, from 30 November-1 December. 

The workshop hosted a wide range of speakers and participants representing the South Asian nations and also extra-regional partners – the United States of America, the European Union, Singapore, Hong Kong and Australia. Presenters at the workshop made important representations from their respective countries in relation to climate change and resource security. Discussions amalgamated both local and regional experiences in tackling climate change issues, the role of the military as a primary responder to natural disasters and its wider implications on national security. 

The inaugural session commenced with the welcome remarks delivered by INSSSL Director General Asanga Abeyagoonasekera. He reiterated the commitment and pledge to combat the adverse effects of climate change made by Maithripala Sirisena, President of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, who is also the president of the INSSSL Board of Governors. Abeyagoonasekera stated that, as the national security think tank, INSSSL has provided research and analysis in the area of climate-related security issues to the President’s 2030 strategic vision. This vision is being formulated under the guidance of Prof. Mohan Munasinghe, Sri Lanka’s Nobel Prize winner for climate change. 

Dr. Peter Hefele from KAS advocated for a fresh approach in state-to-state relations when tackling climate change, as its consequent issues are not restricted to state boundaries but have spillover effects into neighbouring states and wider regions. It was also mentioned how inspiration could be drawn from the South Asian experience in tackling climate change when addressing issues of similar nature back in Europe.

In his keynote address, the Secretary of Defence, KapilaWaidyaratne spoke of how need to be more proactive in their response to climate change. However, he did emphasise the fact that progress in international negotiations on climate change depends on domestic political support for cooperation and therefore this should be a top priority in domestic politics. 

The first session of the workshop was on the thematic area of ‘Reshaping the Security Landscape: Energy, Resources and Geopolitics in South Asia and beyond’.  The sessions were convened under Chatham House rules and the discussion proceeded on a country-based theme.

It was noted that the division of South Asia has undoubtedly led to conflicts between nations in the region, particularly in the case of resource security. For example, it was made apparent that some of the main rivers that flow through India originate in China, which may possibly lead to water supply issues in the future if the situation is mishandled. There was a call for all regional countries to cooperate on such aspects necessary to address questions on climate change.

Nepal has seen both its upland and lowland ecosystems affected by climate change which in turn threatens water, food and energy resources in the country. However, resource related climate change issues are most prevalent in Bangladesh. In terms of human displacement and migration, 500,000 people have been displaced due to riverbank erosion on its own. Another 400,000 people have moved to Dhaka due to rising sea levels, which also threaten the very existence of the country. A 1 meter rise will submerge 20 per cent of the country and displace more than 30 million people. It has been assumed that Chittagong will be underwater in 100 years. Hence, these figures signal the fact that the effects of climate change are in the life times of our generation. Sri Lanka also faces the threat of climate change as it can be a driver for instability and therefore an issue of national security. In this context, Sri Lanka must work towards training its military to combat environmental security issues as well. There was also a call for a doctrine on military relief responses to be developed for the country. In this regard, the encouraging of research to strengthen science-military cooperation was put forth and here the importance of think tanks came into play. 

Thereafter, representations made from extra-regional countries such as the US, highlighted how though the country has pulled out of the Paris Agreement, it was still very much involved with climate change initiatives. It was also mentioned how the US military is the primary climate combatant for the US in recent times. In this regard, the Arctic and the Indo-Asia Pacific regions were identified as hotspots of climate change and the US have thus deployed military and civilian operations in these areas. 

On the other hand, the European Union experience shared at the workshop was that the biggest challenge was to change the perception of citizens on the issue of climate security. This is because climate security is currently over-shadowed by other security factors such as migration, terrorism and extremism etc. The practice of climate diplomacy to tackle the spillover effects of climate change related disasters was also put forth as a solution. 

The first two sessions ended with a  discussion on how sharing of climate data between countries could aid States in taking more unified action in the face of climate change as a majority of its consequences are not confined to state boundaries. In relation to this, the role of international organisations such as the World Bank was commended.

The Australian experience shared was similar to their South Asian counterparts, in that they faced the threat of energy security. It was highlighted that the immediate domestic challenges for Australia in terms of climate change were being met by the Australian Defence Force, thereby propelling the theme of the day – the fact that the military and security sectors are intrinsic to combating climate change. 

The concluding session focused on the need to view climate change as a definite threat to a country’s national security.  South Asia’s response to climate change related issues suffers from a general lack of coordination between states and leaders. Enhancing information sharing among the military and civil authorities as well as capacity building and disaster management training were underlined as crucial step towards combating this issue.

The workshop was a success in that it illuminated the issues in the South Asian region with regards to Climate Change and Resource Security. However, the greatest achievement was that it brought together critical thinkers from diverse defence, academic and civilian backgrounds and united them resolutely in discussing solutions to this issue.