Toda-IFSH policy dialogue
Climate change and security: learning from the Pacific region

17th September 2024 | 6:15-7:45 pm 
DFG Humanities Centre for Advanced Studies: "Futures of Sustainability"
Room 1021
Gorch-Fock-Wall 3
20354 | Hamburg

For online participation please register via this link

What can we learn from the Pacific about addressing the intertwined challenges of climate change and security? This public roundtable brings together experts from the Pacific region and Northern Europe to discuss how climate change is affecting peace and security across different regions. From rising sea levels threatening Pacific Island nations to the environmental violence experienced by Arctic communities, the event will highlight the importance of local perspectives and indigenous knowledge in shaping responses to the security impacts of climate change.  

Too often, regional insecurities are overshadowed by broader discourses that center on Western ideas and interests. For example, while Western perspectives may focus on the geopolitical impacts of climate change, Pacific communities are deeply concerned about the loss of cultural heritage as land disappears under rising seas. Similarly, in the Arctic, traditional ways of life are being disrupted by environmental change, raising new security concerns for local populations. 

However, Pacific Islanders and other indigenous communities in severely affected areas are anything but mere victims of the climate crisis. They are pioneers, leading the way with climate mitigation initiatives and innovations in climate change adaptation – as exemplified by the Rising Nations Initiative and the push for a Digital Tuvalu. The panel discussion sheds light on these recent initiatives and fosters mutual learning and exchange. 

Moderation: 

Prof. Dr. Ursula Schröder 
Director of Institute for Peace Research and Security Policy at the University of Hamburg (IFSH)

Panelists: 

Philippe Maupai: Deputy Head of the "Geopolitics of Climate Change, Climate and Security“division of the Federal Foreign Office 

Upolu Luma Vaai: Principal and Professor of Theology and Ethics at Pacific Theological College, Fiji

Janani Vivekananda: Head of Programme Climate Diplomacy and Security at Adelphi, Berlin 

Cedric H. de Coning: Research Professor at the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs (NUPI)

Anna Naupa: ni-Vanuatu PhD candidate at the Australian National University’s School of Culture, History and Language


This policy dialogue is a joint event organised by Toda Peace Institute (Japan), Universität Hamburg, and Institute for Peace Research and Security Policy. It is part of the international workshop "Climate Loss, Conflict and Peace: Relational Responses to Existential Crisis.“ More information about the conference can be found here.