Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
climate funding, and claim this helps mitigate tensions and con
ict related to
resource scarcity. There is a strong developmental orientation to such funding. This
ostensibly re
approach: investment in economic
and social development is seen as requisite to sustainable security. This logic appears
to have been given particular resonance in the realm of climate security. This is
certainly an evolving and strong aspect to European policies. However, the evidence
suggests that the enormous range of climate-development funding forthcoming from
European donors rather easily assumes its own security relevance, rather than this
following from a careful or precise assessment of its impact.
The EU has developed initiatives
ects the broader EU
'
soft security
'
'
to improve poor communities
access
to
energy. Policy-makers argue that this lends a distinctive dimension to con
ict
prevention and one that is centred more on mutual human security concerns rather
than purely traditional state interests. If there is an identi
able area of climate-
con
The EU has, since the
mid-2000s, promoted its support for a wider access to energy as one of the most
distinctive strands of its development cooperation, especially in sub-Saharan Africa
but also increasingly in South Asia. Climate commissioner Connie Hedegaard
insists that a focus on access to energy in ODA is and must continue to be the
leading edge of the EU
ict speci
city in EU policies it is that of
'
energy access.
'
s linking of security and climate change policy.
20
Devel-
opment commissioner Andris Piebalgs insists that he has taken an interest in climate
change precisely because of the increasing share of ODA directed at ensuring a
fairer and thus more harmonious distribution of energy resources. A new Com-
mission communication in March 2013 promised to merge development and cli-
mate change issues into a single seamless anti-poverty policy.
21
Even fairly realist-
tinged governments, like that led by the Conservative party in the UK, have
insisted that climate change is a strategic problem primarily because it a
'
ects states
that are already poor and weak, and have limited resilience.
European support has been forthcoming for the joint management of natural
resources, such as river basin systems. The EU
'
slineisthatitseekstousewater
disputes to
and temper tensions between local communities. This
means tying into external agreements incentives to get third country partners
cooperating with each other on joint management of scarce resources. Several
member states fund initiatives on the joint management of water basins. The
partnership for Climate Change and environment identi
'
build bridges
'
es the development of
the Great Green Wall of the Sahara and the Sahel Initiative as priorities. These
aim to address land degradation and deserti
cation in the margins of the Sahara.
A prefeasibility study commissioned by the European Commission and the
African Union Commission has been used to catalyse member state
nancial
support. One case study concurs that the collection of these initiatives indicate
that in Africa the EU
'
s entry point into climate security has been primarily
