GECHS

GECHS associates Hans Günther Brauch and Úrsula Oswald Spring are the first and second editors of Volume IV in the Hexagon Series on Human and Environmental Security and Peace. The title of the new volume is “Facing Global Environmental Change – Environmental, Human, Energy, Food, Health and Water Security Concepts”.

This is a policy-focused, global and multidisciplinary security handbook which addresses new security threats of the 21^st century posed by climate change, desertification, water stress, population growth and urbanization. These are security dangers and concerns that lead to migration, crises and conflicts, and they are on the agenda of the UN, OECD, OSCE, NATO and EU.

The book analyses the global debate on environmental, human and gender, energy, food, livelihood, health and water security concepts and policy problems. They suggest a new research programme to move from knowledge to action, from reactive to proactive policies and to explore the opportunities of environmental cooperation for a new peace policy. For information on the whole Hexagon Series on Human and Environmental Security and Peace, please see the Springer Link website.

Volume III in the Hexagon Series on Human and Environmental Security and Peace is now out in Turkish and Spanish editions. In this reference book on global security thinking, 92 authors from five continents and many disciplines, from science and practice, assess the global reconceptualization of security triggered by the end of the Cold War, globalization and manifold impacts of global environmental change in the early 21st century.

The book addresses the theoretical, philosophical, ethical and religious and spatial context of security and discusses the relationship between security, peace, development and environment. Furthermore, the book reviews the reconceptualization of security in philosophy, international law, economics and political science, the political, military, economic, social and environmental security dimension and the adaptation of the institutional security concepts of the UN, EU and NATO. The book also analyzes the reconceptualization of regional security and alternative security futures and draws conclusions for future research and action.

This book contains revised papers from three workshops at ISA ( Montreal), IPRA ( Sopron) and the Fourth Pan European Conference on International Relations (The Hague) and additional commissioned papers. Here, you can read more about the Spanish edition, and the Turkish edition.

As a result of a collaborative effort by the Southern African Vulnerability Initiative and the Southern African Savannas Network (ICSU/EU-sponsored), a set of articles integrating findings from research efforts regarding the sustainability of southern African savannas are now out in the journal Environmental Science and Policy. The articles are available electronically from the journal website and will be published in the paper version of the journal later this year. The articles seek to identify main threats and opportunities to sustainability, link sustainability and vulnerability in the region, and exemplify how these interlinkages play out on the ground. GECHS associate Siri Eriksen is the lead author of two articles and co-author of two articles, while GECHS chair Karen O’Brien is the lead author of one of the five articles.

The Global Environmental Change and Human Security (GECHS) project organized an International Human Dimensions Workshop (IHDW) on “Sustainable Adaptation to Climate Change” October 11-16, 2009, New Delhi, India. A total of 17 researchers and practitioners from around the world attended and contributed to this seminar. The participation of 5 young researchers from Africa was funded from START/PACOM African Global Change Research Grants. The training seminar focused on the concept of sustainable adaptation to climate change as a means of enhancing human security. In particular, the relationship between adaptation and development was explored, including how poverty reduction strategies can have either positive or negative influences on vulnerability to climate change. The role of social and technological innovations for development was also addressed in the seminar, especially the role of renewable energy technologies in contribution to increased adaptive capacity and sustainable adaptation. The presentations given during the IHDW are listed below:

• Presentation Chaurey IHDW Delhi 2008.pdf
• Presentation Erhart IHDW Delhi 2008.pdf
• Presentation Park IHDW Delhi 2008.pdf
• Presentation O’Brien IHDW Delhi 2008.pdf
• Presentation Eriksen IHDW Delhi 2008.pdf
• Presentation Roychowdhury Delhi 2008.pdf
• Presentation_Sygna_IHDWDelhi2008.pdf
• Case Study Presentation Aldunce IHDW Delhi 2008.pdf
• Case Study Presentation Erhart IHDW 2008.pdf
• Case Study Presentation Martins IHDW Delhi 2008.pdf
• Case Study Presentation Olorunfemi IHDW Delhi 2008.pdf
• Group Presentation Plenary Nhemachena IHDW Delhi 2008.pdf

In this report GECHS, in collaboration with several leading institutions within the climate change community, analyzes recent literatures on the human dimensions of climate change and the risk perspective. Recognition of the threats to human security associated with climate change has generated growing interest in the relationship between disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation. There is an intuitive understanding that the two are closely linked, yet it has been difficult to elaborate a common framework for addressing disaster risk in the context of climate change.

The findings of this report suggest a timely need to assess the role that disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation can play in minimizing threats to human security. The risk of more complex, frequent, intense or unpredictable extreme weather events associated with global temperature increases, changing precipitation patterns and sea level rise, coupled with both gradual and non-linear changes to ecosystems and natural resources, suggests the need for a renewed focus on the ways that disaster risk reduction and adaptation can influence the context in which climate change occurs. Rather than creating or perpetuating contexts for disaster, it is possible to use disaster risk reduction and adaptation strategies to create a context that promotes human well-being and security.

This report and a comprehensive bibliography served as a background and support for an International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (ISDR)/Norway lead proposal, presented at the 28th session of the IPCC in 1-4 September 2008, for an IPCC Special Report on “Managing the Risk of Extreme Events to Advance Climate Change Adaptation”. The writing of the report and the bibliography was funded by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.