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92. The Lungs of the Earth: Shifting a Metaphor from Superstition to Science
- Author:
- Aria Ritz Finkelstein and Porter Hoagland
- Publication Date:
- 10-2020
- Content Type:
- Special Report
- Institution:
- Georgetown Journal of International Affairs
- Abstract:
- Poor metaphors can muddy the nature of environmental policy problems, but good ones can help policymakers begin to understand how to solve them. Using language carefully is critical to crafting effective international agreements to encourage the sustainable conservation of the marine environment in areas beyond national jurisdictions.
- Topic:
- Environment, Science and Technology, Governance, Law, Multilateralism, and Sustainability
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
93. Preparing for the Inevitable: Climate Change and the Military
- Author:
- Esther Sperling
- Publication Date:
- 03-2020
- Content Type:
- Special Report
- Institution:
- Georgetown Journal of International Affairs
- Abstract:
- The US military maintains almost $1.2 trillion worth of installations worldwide, allowing the United States to sustain critical capabilities and respond to crises around the globe. Outdated and degraded infrastructure limits the military’s ability to respond. The growing impacts of climate change exacerbate the challenge of modernizing and maintaining infrastructure. Climate change’s impact on military installations can be broken down into four main categories: sea level rise, extreme storms, extreme drought and heat, and Arctic ice melt. While Congress has passed bipartisan legislation to address the threat, the Department of Defense (DoD) must take additional steps to adapt to the challenges of climate change.
- Topic:
- Climate Change, Environment, Military Affairs, and Sustainability
- Political Geography:
- North America, Global Focus, and United States of America
94. Unpacking the UN’s Development System Reform
- Author:
- Lesley Connolly and Jimena Leiva Roesch
- Publication Date:
- 07-2020
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- International Peace Institute (IPI)
- Abstract:
- On January 1, 2019, a far-reaching reform of the UN development system went into effect. This was referred to by the deputy secretary-general as “the most ambitious reform of the United Nations development system in decades.” While this reform has only briefly been in place, questions have already arisen about its implementation and implications. This issue brief aims to contribute to the understanding of this ongoing reform and its significance. It provides a detailed overview of the UN development system reform at the headquarters, regional, and country levels, highlighting why it was undertaken and identifying some of the political and bureaucratic complexities it entails. The report concludes that more than a year into the reform of the UN development system, significant progress has been made, but it is too early to assess the reform’s long-term impact. What is clear, however, is that bringing about change of this scope will require the UN to adapt not only its structure but also its way of working.
- Topic:
- Development, United Nations, and Sustainability
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
95. Making Peace with Climate Adaptation
- Author:
- Louise Van Schaik, Camilla Born, Elizabeth Sellwood, and Sophie de Bruin
- Publication Date:
- 03-2020
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Clingendael Netherlands Institute of International Relations
- Abstract:
- Climate change poses risks to poor and rich communities alike, although impacts on the availability and distribution of essential resources such as water, food, energy and land will differ. These changes, combined with other social, political and economic stresses and shocks, can increase tensions within and between states, which, if unmanaged, can lead to violence. Climate-related changes to transboundary waters, food security and trade patterns, sea levels, and Arctic ice, as well as the transition to a low-carbon economy, have profound geopolitical implications. Largescale climate-related migration may also affect the stability of states, and relations between states. Climate action itself may prove destabilizing: (mal)adaptation can disrupt economic and social relations, particularly if implemented without appropriate political economy analysis and risk assessments. In response to analyses linking climate change to security, peace and security actors increasingly realize that interventions to promote peace and stability are more likely to be effective if they incorporate such analyses. At the United Nations, member states have agreed to shift towards a “preventive” approach to conflict risks, grounded in sustainable development. The UN leadership is adjusting institutional structures to better understand and respond to climate-related security risks at all levels, including a newly established climate security mechanism in New York. Many regional intergovernmental institutions have also recognized the links between climate change, peace and security. Some, such as the Intergovernmental Authority on Development in East Africa and the European Union, have incorporated climate-related factors into their conflict early-warning mechanisms. We are only just beginning to understand the realities of adapting to unprecedented climate change, however. Climate-related factors will need to be incorporated systematically into political analysis, risk assessment, and early warning, accompanied by deeper integration of climate-security risk assessment into planning and political engagement in the field. Similarly, more consistent analysis of climate-related security risks must contribute to politically informed, conflict-sensitive adaptation strategies.
- Topic:
- Conflict Prevention, Climate Change, International Political Economy, Peace, and Sustainability
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
96. Global Trends Report 2018
- Author:
- Mensur Akgün, Sena Kekeç, and Yasin Küçükkaya
- Publication Date:
- 02-2020
- Content Type:
- Special Report
- Institution:
- Global Political Trends Center (GPoT)
- Abstract:
- This report focuses on the 73rd Session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA 73) that the theme of general debate is “Making the United Nations Relevant to All People: Global Leadership and Shared Responsibilities for Peaceful, Equitable and Sustainable Societies.” held on September 25 - October 1, 2019. In the first part, it aims to analyze priority topics in Turkey’s statement. Accordingly, it shows how all the remaining 195 speeches matched with the themes of Turkey. In the second part, it staked out the measurement of both global and regional correlation through percentages. It can also be found some graphs showing the comparison with the last year.
- Topic:
- United Nations, Leadership, Peace, Sustainability, and Equity
- Political Geography:
- Turkey and Global Focus
97. Tech Power to the People! Democratising Cutting-edge Technologies to Serve Society
- Author:
- Renata Avila Pinto
- Publication Date:
- 03-2020
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- Institute for Development and Peace
- Abstract:
- Governments all over the world are adopting cutting-edge technologies to experiment with quicker, cheaper and more efficient delivery of services traditionally provided by human beings. From citizen security to allocation of social ben- efits, technologies are being deployed at a rapid pace, the aim being to serve people better, reduce costs and enhance accountability. The results are mixed. In some cases, the technologies exclude entire groups of the population, thereby exacer- bating race, gender or economic inequalities. In other cases, technology is used to surveil specific groups or communities, eroding their right to pri- vacy. And there are no clear remedies to mitigate the harm done by machines or to increase the accountability of those deploying the systems. However, when designing tech interventions, universal human rights, democratic rules and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) should shape the initiatives of the public sector. An important prerequisite is a higher degree of autonomy from big tech companies. Further- more, participatory design and testing in collabo- ration with the communities the technologies are intended to serve are needed, not only to avoid harm but to increase effectiveness and quality.
- Topic:
- Development, Science and Technology, Governance, Inequality, and Sustainability
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
98. Central Bank Mandates, Sustainability Objectives and the Promotion of Green Finance
- Author:
- Simon Dikau and Ulrich Volz
- Publication Date:
- 01-2020
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- School of Oriental and African Studies - University of London
- Abstract:
- This paper examines the extent to which addressing climate-related risks and supporting sustainable finance fit into the current set of central bank mandates and objectives. To this end, we conduct a detailed analysis of central bank mandates and objectives, using the IMF’s Central Bank Legislation Database, and compare these to current arrangements and sustainability-related policies central banks have adopted in practice. To scrutinise the alignment of mandates with climate-related policies, we differentiate between the impact of environmental factors on the conventional core objectives of central banking and a potential supportive role of central banks with regard to green finance and sustainability. Of the 135 central banks in our sample, only 12% have explicit sustainability mandates, while another 40% are mandated to support the government’s policy priorities, which in most cases include sustainability goals. However, given that climate risks can directly affect central banks’ traditional core responsibilities, most notably monetary and financial stability, even central banks without explicit or implicit sustainability objectives ought to incorporate climate-related physical and transition risks into their core policy implementation frameworks in order to efficiently and successfully safeguard macro-financial stability.
- Topic:
- International Cooperation, Finance, Green Technology, Sustainability, IMF, and Banking
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
99. Political Economy of the Environment: A Look Back and Ahead
- Author:
- James K. Boyce
- Publication Date:
- 06-2020
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Political Economy Research Institute (PERI), University of Massachusetts Amherst
- Abstract:
- The political economy of the environment aims to deepen our understanding of the interplay among the economy, the environment, and human well-being. In contrast to neoclassical environmental economics, it pays attention not only to the net magnitude of costs and benefits but also to their distribution. In the realm of positive analysis – descriptions of how the world works – this means exploring the multiple ways in which the distribution of wealth and power affects environmental outcomes. In the realm of normative analysis – prescriptions for how the world should work – political economists advocate a range of criteria including not only cost effectiveness but also safety, sustainability, and environmental justice.
- Topic:
- Environment, Political Economy, Sustainability, and Well-Being
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
100. ‘Assuring our Common Future’, a guide to parliamentary action in support of disarmament for security and sustainable development
- Author:
- Alyn Ware
- Publication Date:
- 11-2020
- Content Type:
- Special Report
- Institution:
- The Geneva Centre for Security Policy
- Abstract:
- This guide to parliamentary action in support of disarmament for security and sustainable development has been produced by the partner organisations in order to educate and engage legislators (parliamentarians) in all fields of disarmament, including of nuclear weapons, other weapons of mass destruction, other inhumane weapons, small arms and light weapons, other conventional weapons and emerging weapons. The approach and focus of the guide draws primarily from Securing our Common Future: An Agenda for Disarmament, a report released by the United Nations Secretary-General (UNSG) in 2018 and followed up by the UN Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA) with guidelines and support for implementation. The parliamentary guide offers recommendations and examples of parliamentary action and exemplary policy relating to the disarmament issues and goals outlined in the UNSG’s report. In addition it includes a section on disarmament and public health in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic, also with recommendations and examples of policy and parliamentary action.
- Topic:
- Security, Development, Disarmament, and Sustainability
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus