Climate Change as Security Issue - does this mean: more efficient climate policy or more security against refugees? Christoph Bals, Germanwatch Session, EFMSV, Bonn 9 October 2008

Topicality We see a tendency to more environmental refugees - and climate change might become (or is already becoming) a dominant trigger of this tendency In Europe (Schengen) and the US: we see the tendency to move and "secure" the borders Strategies of companies and states: Move human right issues out of the visible zone - Human right issues (and relevant pictures) are moved to the supply chain and geographically to African / Latin American countries

Our responsibilities Do we have more or other responsibility than to safeguard our borders? To support adaptation strategies to prevent refugees - based on the right to food / water To support regional strategies to deal with refugees in a constructive way? To mitigate conflicts? To give climate refugees an official refugee status? To think about contingents of climate refugees for industrialized countries - based on responsibility and capability?

The scientific basis What can science deliver as a basis for a sound political discussion? Lots of open questions regarding definitions statistics concepts to minimize social vulnerability the attempts to combine this with the adaptation debate of the UN climate negotiations climate as a security issue - which calls for partnership and not military solutions (both for greenhouse gas reduction and for adaptation / risk reduction / migration prevention / migration strategies). Is science ready to address these questions?