Download Climate Change: A Challenge to Peace Presented by Mr Anthony

Climate Change: A Challenge to Peace
Presented by
Mr Anthony Tan Kee Huat
Executive Director
Centre for Environment, Technology & Development, Malaysia
(CETDEM)
What is the relationship between Climate Change and Peace?
First, lets learn more about Peace. Peace describes a society or a relationship that is operating
harmoniously and without violent conflict. Peace is commonly understood as the absence of
hostility, or the existence of healthy or newly healed interpersonal or international relationships,
safety in matters of social or economic welfare, the acknowledgment of equality and fairness in
political relationships. In international relations, peacetime is the absence of any war or conflict.
The Nobel Peace Prize.
In November 27, 1895, Alfred Nobel signed his last will and testament in Paris. Among its four
closely-written pages, less than one referred to the donation which was destined to link his name
with the supreme achievements of the modern world in science and literature, and the causes for
peace.
“The said interest shall be divided into five equal parts, which shall be apportioned as follows: /- - -/
one part to the person who shall have done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations,
the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace
congresses.”
Since 1901, the Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded to individuals (and organisations) who have
contributed much to the promotion of peace. In 2007, the Intergovernmental Penal on Climate
Change (IPCC) and Honarable Albert Arnold (Al) Gore Jr. , former Vice-President of the United
States of America were jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize “for their efforts to build up and
disseminate greater knowledge about man-made climate change, and to lay the foundations for the
measures that are needed to counteract such change". The choice of these recepients for the 2007
Nobel Peace Prize was an international recognition of the global threat to peace that is posed by
this phenomenon called Climate Change.
The Climate Change Phenomenon.
Climate Change and Global Warming are two phrases which are used inter-changeably. They have
also become very often used phrases in recent years. But what are Climate Change and Global
Warming really?
Global Warming is the overall temperature increase of the planet, which has been documented in
the large body of research work and studies conducted, beginning in the 1960s. According to
authenticated weather records dating back to the time of the industrial revolution of the late 19th
century, the globe has warmed by around 0.6 – 0.7C in the past 150 years or so.
Global Warming is a direct result of the drastic increase in Greenhouse Gases in the atmosphere,
which is due to human activities. Climate Change is a subsequence of Global Warming.
Climate Change Negotiations.
The First World Climate Conference was held in 1979. The IPCC First Assessment Report was
released in 1985. The Second World Climate Conference was held in 1990 whereby the UNGA
Resolution for Earth Summit was released and set the stage for multilateral negotiations for
Conventions on climate change and biological diversity. Negotiations began in 1991. In
1992 Earth Summit was convened in Rio de Janeiro and endorsed UN FCCC and CBD.
The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) states its objectives as:
“to achieve stabilisation of greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that would
prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with climate system to allow ecosystems to adapt
naturally, to ensure food production is not threatened and to enable sustainable development”.
In 1994, Malaysia Became Party to the UNFCCC. 1995 saw the First Conference of Parties in
Berlin. The Kyoto Protocol was adopted in 1997. Fast forward to 2009, and COP 15 was held in
Copenhagen, Denmark. Before COP15 began, the conference was nick-named Hopen-hagen. By
the time it ended, it was given the not-so-kind name of Floppen-hagen. At the end of this month,
thousands of Climate Change negotiators, activists, proponents and skeptics will converge to
Cancun, Mexico for COP16.
The Challenges posed by Climate Change.
Energy security.
Food security.
Water security.
National security.
International security.
What can WE do?
A little about Avaaz.org
Citations:
"The Nobel Peace Prize". Nobelprize.org. 3 Nov 2010 http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/