A window into what we are reading at the Wilson Center’s Environmental Change and Security Program

Possibilities for Peace and Conflict at COP28

October 2023 was the world’s warmest month in history, a fact which underscores the escalation of the climate crisis. It also supports official reports on adaptation and emission gaps which provide pessimistic outlooks for the future of peace in conflict-affected areas.

The COP28 UAE Presidency incorporated peace into its thematic program, a process which culminated in an official COP Declaration on Climate, Health, Recovery, and Peace. Over 150 individuals constitute the conference’s “Peace@COP28” participatory collective, a global effort which aims to make climate change policies more peace-responsive and conflict-sensitive.

The Peace@COP28 community advocates for the urgency of taking a conflict-sensitive and peace-responsive approach in implementing the Paris Agreement. It has identified three action points for this COP: raising attention and interest in peace and conflict, the inclusion of peace or conflict language into negotiated outcomes, and the formal endorsement of the Declaration by a number of states.

LISTEN | Relief, Recovery, and Peace: Peter Schwartzstein on COP28’s New Theme

COP28’s Humanitarian Action Day

On December 3, COP28 discussions focused specifically on humanitarian action. These talks produced two main outcomes: the launch of the Climate, Relief, Recovery, and Peace Declaration and a push for proactive action on the impact of climate change and conflict.

The non-binding declaration received 74 government endorsements, but faces major limitations. The initiative lacks new climate finance measures to fund it—meaning the fulfillment of the declaration’s commitments will depend solely on existing funds.

Calls for an anticipatory or proactive approach to humanitarian action were featured at side events surrounding the launch of the declaration. The fear remains, however, that funding channels for this approach will be dominated by large funding organizations without any meaningful reform of humanitarian finance mechanisms.

LISTEN | Relief, Recovery, and Peace: David Nicholson on COP28’s New Theme

How are Communities Adapting to the Climate Crisis?

Climate-related wildfires, storms, and floods causing widespread devastation in 2023. Yet while the world has faced these consequences of an escalating climate crisis, the impact of these events has not been uniform.

According to the UNEP’s Adaptation Gap Report 2023, developing nations require $215 billion to $387 billion to address the ramifications of a warming world. It is a shortfall which emphasizes the urgent need for action.

Amidst these challenges, however, innovative projects in Cambodia, Fiji, Peru, the Caribbean, and a global initiative in adaptation finance are providing solutions. The new approaches include ecosystem-based adaptation and planned relocation, as well as protection for mountain ecosystems and the implementation of early warning systems.

READ | Community Input Improves Climate Change-Induced Resettlement Effort

Sources: NSB, COP28, Ecosystem for Peace, Accord, The New Humanitarian, UNEP