RSIS Virtual Roundtable on “Climate Security in the Indo-Pacific: Strategic Implications for Defence and Foreign Affairs”
25 October 2021
The recent IPCC Climate Change 2021: The Physical Science Basis report released on 9 August 2021 has proven to be a “reality check”, highlighting the likely increases in the frequency and intensity of extreme weather and its potential impacts on the world as temperatures continue to rise. Largely a result of human behaviour, it is clear that climate change is increasing insecurity across our region from devastating storms, sea level rise, and extreme heat to knock-on effects such as the migration of fish stocks which compromise our food security. Governments are designing and incorporating climate-proofing measures into foreign and defence policies in the region to mitigate these effects – demonstrating the priority climate change now takes. This roundtable gathers experts from the defence and foreign policy communities to discuss Climate Security in the Indo-Pacific and its implications on regional affairs. This event will evaluate the role of climate change as a crisis multiplier, and the place of climate change in national and regional defence and foreign policy.