• Home
  • About RSIS
    • Introduction
    • Building the Foundations
    • Welcome Message
    • Board of Governors
    • Staff Profiles
      • Executive Deputy Chairman’s Office
      • Dean’s Office
      • Management
      • Distinguished Fellows
      • Faculty and Research
      • Associate Research Fellows, Senior Analysts and Research Analysts
      • Visiting Fellows
      • Adjunct Fellows
      • Administrative Staff
    • Honours and Awards for RSIS Staff and Students
    • RSIS Endowment Fund
    • Endowed Professorships
    • Career Opportunities
    • Getting to RSIS
  • Research
    • Research Centres
      • Centre for Multilateralism Studies (CMS)
      • Centre for Non-Traditional Security Studies (NTS Centre)
      • Centre of Excellence for National Security (CENS)
      • Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies (IDSS)
      • International Centre for Political Violence and Terrorism Research (ICPVTR)
    • Research Programmes
      • National Security Studies Programme (NSSP)
      • Studies in Inter-Religious Relations in Plural Societies (SRP) Programme
    • [email protected] Newsletter
    • Other Research
      • Future Issues And Technology (FIT)
      • Science and Technology Studies Programme (STSP) (2017-2020)
  • Graduate Education
    • Graduate Programmes Office
    • Overview
    • MSc (Asian Studies)
    • MSc (International Political Economy)
    • MSc (International Relations)
    • MSc (Strategic Studies)
    • NTU-Warwick Double Masters Programme
    • PhD Programme
    • Exchange Partners and Programmes
    • How to Apply
    • Financial Assistance
    • Meet the Admissions Team: Information Sessions and other events
    • RSIS Alumni
  • Alumni & Networks
    • Alumni
    • Asia-Pacific Programme for Senior Military Officers (APPSMO)
    • Asia-Pacific Programme for Senior National Security Officers (APPSNO)
    • SRP Executive Programme
    • Terrorism Analyst Training Course (TATC)
  • Publications
    • RSIS Publications
      • Annual Reviews
      • Books
      • Bulletins and Newsletters
      • Commentaries
      • Counter Terrorist Trends and Analyses
      • Commemorative / Event Reports
      • IDSS Paper
      • Interreligious Relations
      • Monographs
      • NTS Insight
      • Policy Reports
      • Working Papers
      • RSIS Publications for the Year
    • Glossary of Abbreviations
    • External Publications
      • Authored Books
      • Journal Articles
      • Edited Books
      • Chapters in Edited Books
      • Policy Reports
      • Working Papers
      • Op-Eds
      • External Publications for the Year
    • Policy-relevant Articles Given RSIS Award
  • Media
    • Cohesive Societies
    • Great Powers
    • Sustainable Security
    • COVID-19 Resources
    • Other Resource Pages
    • Media Highlights
    • News Releases
    • Speeches
    • Vidcast Channel
    • Audio/Video Forums
  • Events
  • Giving
  • Contact Us
Facebook
Twitter
YouTube
RSISVideoCast RSISVideoCast rsis.sg
Linkedin
instagram instagram rsis.sg
RSS
  • Home
  • About RSIS
      • Introduction
      • Building the Foundations
      • Welcome Message
      • Board of Governors
      • Staff Profiles
        • Executive Deputy Chairman’s Office
        • Dean’s Office
        • Management
        • Distinguished Fellows
        • Faculty and Research
        • Associate Research Fellows, Senior Analysts and Research Analysts
        • Visiting Fellows
        • Adjunct Fellows
        • Administrative Staff
      • Honours and Awards for RSIS Staff and Students
      • RSIS Endowment Fund
      • Endowed Professorships
      • Career Opportunities
      • Getting to RSIS
  • Research
      • Research Centres
        • Centre for Multilateralism Studies (CMS)
        • Centre for Non-Traditional Security Studies (NTS Centre)
        • Centre of Excellence for National Security (CENS)
        • Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies (IDSS)
        • International Centre for Political Violence and Terrorism Research (ICPVTR)
      • Research Programmes
        • National Security Studies Programme (NSSP)
        • Studies in Inter-Religious Relations in Plural Societies (SRP) Programme
      • [email protected] Newsletter
      • Other Research
        • Future Issues And Technology (FIT)
        • Science and Technology Studies Programme (STSP) (2017-2020)
  • Graduate Education
      • Graduate Programmes Office
      • Overview
      • MSc (Asian Studies)
      • MSc (International Political Economy)
      • MSc (International Relations)
      • MSc (Strategic Studies)
      • NTU-Warwick Double Masters Programme
      • PhD Programme
      • Exchange Partners and Programmes
      • How to Apply
      • Financial Assistance
      • Meet the Admissions Team: Information Sessions and other events
      • RSIS Alumni
  • Alumni & Networks
      • Alumni
      • Asia-Pacific Programme for Senior Military Officers (APPSMO)
      • Asia-Pacific Programme for Senior National Security Officers (APPSNO)
      • SRP Executive Programme
      • Terrorism Analyst Training Course (TATC)
  • Publications
      • RSIS Publications
        • Annual Reviews
        • Books
        • Bulletins and Newsletters
        • Commentaries
        • Counter Terrorist Trends and Analyses
        • Commemorative / Event Reports
        • IDSS Paper
        • Interreligious Relations
        • Monographs
        • NTS Insight
        • Policy Reports
        • Working Papers
        • RSIS Publications for the Year
      • Glossary of Abbreviations
      • External Publications
        • Authored Books
        • Journal Articles
        • Edited Books
        • Chapters in Edited Books
        • Policy Reports
        • Working Papers
        • Op-Eds
        • External Publications for the Year
      • Policy-relevant Articles Given RSIS Award
  • Media
      • Cohesive Societies
      • Great Powers
      • Sustainable Security
      • COVID-19 Resources
      • Other Resource Pages
      • Media Highlights
      • News Releases
      • Speeches
      • Vidcast Channel
      • Audio/Video Forums
  • Events
  • Giving
  • Contact Us
  • instagram instagram rsis.sg
Connect

Getting to RSIS

Map

Address

Nanyang Technological University
Block S4, Level B3,
50 Nanyang Avenue,
Singapore 639798

View location on Google maps Click here for directions to RSIS

Get in Touch

    Connect with Us

      rsis.ntu
      rsis_ntu
      rsisntu
    RSISVideoCast RSISVideoCast rsisvideocast
      school/rsis-ntu
    instagram instagram rsis.sg
      RSS
    Subscribe to RSIS Publications
    Subscribe to RSIS Events

    RSIS Intranet

    S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies Think Tank and Graduate School Ponder The Improbable Since 1966
    Nanyang Technological University Nanyang Technological University

    Skip to content

     
    • RSIS
    • Seminar on ‘The Obama Vision: Are We Moving Toward a World Free of Nuclear Weapons?’

    Seminar on ‘The Obama Vision: Are We Moving Toward a World Free of Nuclear Weapons?’

    22 Apr 2010 14:30 - 16:00
    RSIS
    Type: Lectures / Seminars
    Public
    For Enquiries: [email protected]
    Google Calendar

    As the largest and most populous continent, Asia is expected to bear the brunt of the effects of climate change. In more traditional security literature, climate change has increasingly been documented as a threat multiplier, with the potential to overstretch societies’ adaptive capacity and create or exacerbate political instability and violence. The expectations have been that governments should work cooperatively to avoid the kinds of tensions that might result, particularly in the face of alleged competition for resources and the cross-border challenges associated with the emerging phenomenon of ‘climate refugees’. Consequently, there has been more focus on climate mitigation as a preventive strategy while less attention has been paid to the importance of adaptation and building social resilience for those communities and countries most affected by climate change.

    However, adaptation is key to minimising vulnerabilities and building social resilience to the impact of climate change, which in turn will contribute to shaping regional security and stability. The emphasis on social resilience, as opposed to a focus on climate change as a threat multiplier, reflects a non-traditional security approach to the issue. Building social resilience is pertinent for communities that aim to cope with the changes caused by climate change. It also means that strategies for climate adaptation will require multi-level as well as multilateral approaches, involving not only governments but also regional institutions, local communities and non-governmental actors.

    Objectives and Approach

    An important component in the Climate Change, Environmental Security and Natural Disasters Programme is the emphasis on a human security approach in examining current and projected risks as well as identifying ways to address them. This programme is looking at the significant linkages between state and social resilience, on the one hand, and regional climate security on the other. Integral to this analysis is examining regional ‘lessons learned’ in building social resilience in the face of climate change.

    While scientific reports by the Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change (IPCC) have shown how various regions will be affected by climate change, there is a need to pursue a better understanding of the specific implications for the region so that targeted measures can be formulated. The complexities that come into play in these environmental insecurities are found in Southeast Asia. The region is comprised mostly of developing economies. Many countries are characterised by low lying coastal areas. Southeast Asia has also been regularly and adversely affected by natural disasters brought on by torrential rains and large-scale floods, and irregular weather patterns that increasingly bring on long periods of drought. Further, climate change is projected to create more ‘immediate’ risks for food, water and health security in the region.

    The urgency of dealing with climate change has been highlighted by a number of scientists, research institutions, international bodies as well as policymakers. Yet, the global consensus on the gravity of the human security challenges posed by climate change is not matched by a consensus on how best to address this problem. Against the sharpening contours of Asian geopolitics, it is imperative to better understand the nature of social and human vulnerability and resilience. It is also imperative to examine state interactions in the region and the role of regional institutions in developing an effective approach to climate and environmental security, and disaster to management.

    Programme Activities

    First year

    • Conference on Climate Insecurities, Human Security and Social Resilience

    To kick-start the programme, the RSIS Centre for Non-Traditional Security (NTS) Studies organised a conference on Climate Insecurities, Human Security and Social Resilience in Singapore from 27 to 28 August 2009. The conference aimed to come to a better understanding of the implications of climate change for Southeast Asia and Northeast Asia so that specific ‘climate security’ measures could be formulated. The objectives of this conference were to (1) introduce the project to an academic and policy audience; and (2) identify and explore the key themes that ‘set the scene’ for work to come, over the duration of the project. Bringing together reputable security and political analysts, economists and environmentalists, it examined climate change from a human security perspective at both national and regional levels.

    A full report of concept papers and slide presentations presented, as well as video interviews conducted during the conference, can be found here. As a follow-up to the conference, Associate Professor Lorraine Elliott published an RSIS commentary titled ‘Human Security: A Response to the Climate Security Debates’.

    • Working paper on ‘Human Securitising’ the Climate Security Debate

    As part of the Asia Security Initiative Policy Series, Associate Professor Lorraine Elliott explores in her working paper the human insecurities that are generated by climate change, with a particular focus on the Asia-Pacific. The paper also examines how human security models provide (1) different ways of interpreting climate conflict ‘triggers’ and (2) different and more effective strategies for responding to climate insecurity.

    • Edited book with the proposed title of ‘Human Security and Climate Change in Southeast Asia: Managing Risk and Resilience’ (Click here to read the abstracts)

    Second Year

    • Conference on Climate Change and Food Security: Securing Asia Pacific’s Food Futures

    Activities in the second year are focused on the issue of climate change and food security. Climate change is projected to aggravate existing pressure on food security in the Asia- Pacific. The agriculture sector is central to food security in the region and the negative consequences of climate change on agricultural production will in turn affect the availability, access, stability and utilisation of food, all of which are critical elements of food security. The food crises in 2007 and 2008 have shown that the security dimensions of food crises are complex, multi-scale and interconnected, and that they range across human security, economic security and national security. This complexity of security concerns has generated demands for strategic policy responses in agricultural productivity, disaster management, social protection and community-based development.

    Moreover, because these are no longer simply local problems, food security requires effective policy responses that are supported and facilitated by regional cooperation. While there has been growth in regional activity under ASEAN, ASEAN Plus Three, and international bodies such as the UN Food and Agricultural Organization, there has been little systematic assessment of the coherence or fragmentation of regional responses, best practices, policy gaps, and their contribution to the human and national security dimensions of food scarcity. This conference aims to evaluate regional food security frameworks in the Asia-Pacific by taking an interdisciplinary and multilateral approach and bringing together regional experts from within academe, the policy community and civil society organisations. This conference is scheduled to be held in the third quarter of 2010 in Canberra, Australia.

    • Edited book on climate change and food security

    An edited book will be published in addition to conference proceedings as a follow-up to the above-mentioned conference. The chapters in this book will cover key issues on both best practices and policy gaps in regional governance strategies for food security in relation to climate change, and provide appropriate and relevant recommendations for strengthening and enhancing cooperative arrangements. This book will be co-edited by Associate Professors Mely Caballero-Anthony and Lorraine Elliott and is expected to be published by the final quarter of 2011.

    Third Year

    In its third year, this programme will be looking at the issue of climate change and migration in the region. The UN estimates that there could be at least 200 million environmentally-induced migrants worldwide by the year 2050. However, claims about the security implications of climate migration need to be revisited both empirically and conceptually. As opposed to securitising the climate migration issue as an exacerbating factor to traditional security concerns such as conflict and war, the programme seeks to elaborate on a human security approach in analysing and responding to the potential insecurities generated by climate migration. Taking a different approach will demand alternative responses that should take into account a number of underlying vulnerabilities associated with the issue of climate migration such as food, livelihood, poverty, health, and disaster management. This project will look at how adaptation policies in the region will be able to address these challenges.

    The Team

    The research focus areas specified will be headed, respectively, by:

    » Core Team

    • Associate Professor Mely Caballero-Anthony

      Head

      Centre for Non-Traditional Security Studies; and

      Secretary General

      Consortium of Non-Traditional Security Studies in Asia (NTS-Asia).

    • Associate Professor Lorraine Elliott

      Lead Researcher

      Climate Change, Environmental Security and Natural Disasters Programme of the Asia Security Initiative;

      Senior Fellow

      RSIS Centre for NTS Studies; and

      Senior Fellow

      Department of International Relations

      Australian National University College of Asia and the Pacific.

    • Dr J. Jackson Ewing

      Research Fellow

      RSIS Centre for NTS Studies

    • Sofiah Jamil

      Associate Research Fellow

      RSIS Centre for NTS Studies

    » Affiliated Team

    • Dr Arief Anshory Yusuf

      Senior Economist

      Economy and Environment Program for Southeast Asia (EEPSEA)

      Singapore

    • Dr Bernadette P. Resurreccion

      Assistant Professor of Gender and Development Studies

      School of Environment, Resources and Development, Asian Institute of Technology Thailand

    • Dr Beverly Goh

      Assistant Professor

      Natural Sciences & Science Education

      National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University

      Singapore

    • Professor Zha Daojiong

      Professor

      School of International Studies, Peking University

      China

    • Professor Devanathan Parthasarathy

      Professor

      Department of Humanities and Social Sciences

      Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay

      India

    • Professor Emil Salim

      Member

      Advisory Council to Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, the President of the Republic of Indonesia, as Adviser for environment and sustainable development issues

    • Dr Enrique Ibarra Gené

      Policy Researcher

      Institute for Global Environmental Strategies

      Japan

    • Mr Fitrian Ardiansyah

      Programme Director, Climate and Energy Programme

      World Wildlife Fund Jakarta

      Indonesia

    • Dr Henri Bastaman

      Deputy on Environmental Communication and Society's Empowerment

      Ministry of Environment

      Indonesia

    • Dr Herminia A. Francisco

      Director

      Economy and Environment Programme for Southeast Asia

      Singapore

    • Mr John Pearson

      Head of the Southeast Asia Climate Change Network

      British High Commission

      Singapore

    • Dr Keokam Kraisoraphong

      Faculty of Political Science

      Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok

      Thailand

    • Mr Masakazu Ichimura

      Chief, Environment and Development Policy Section

      UNESCAP, Bangkok

      Thailand

    • Professor Richard Tanter

      Director

      Nautilus Institute at RMIT University, Melbourne

      Australia

    • Associate Professor Shreekant Gupta

      Associate Professor

      Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore

      Singapore

    • Professor Tasneem Siddiqui

      Chairman

      Refugee and Migratory Movements Research Unit

      University of Dhaka

      Bangladesh

     

    Back to top

    Terms of Use | Privacy Statement
    Copyright © S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies. All rights reserved.
    This site uses cookies to offer you a better browsing experience. By continuing, you are agreeing to the use of cookies on your device as described in our privacy policy. Learn more
    OK
    Latest Book
    Seminar on ‘The Obama Vision: Are We Moving Toward a World Free of Nuclear Weapons?’

    more info