Climate Change and Conflict Policy Brief No.76 - May, 2020 • By Volker Boege
The United Nations Security Council, the Boe Declaration, and Upolu Luma Vaai’s Umbilical Cord – and Why They Matter for Peacebuilding in the Era of Man-Made Climate Change
This Policy Brief tries to do the seemingly impossible: to lay open the relations between spheres of experiences and activities that at first sight are worlds apart, such as debates in the UN Security Council and stories told in a village on a small Pacific island, decisions taken (or not taken) by so-called world leaders in New York and by local village elders; and it tries to explain why revealing these relations matters for peacebuilding and policy advice in our current era of climate change. The paper commences with a comparison between the two existential threats mankind is confronted with today: nuclear threat and the threat of climate change, and builds a case for peace research to engage with climate change. Flowing from the identification of gaps and shortcomings in the debate, an innovative Pacific eco-relational approach is presented.