DGAP’s Center for Climate and Foreign Policy assesses the societal and geoeconomic impacts of climate change. The interdisciplinary team builds on scientific findings to develop policy recommendations for a coherent German foreign policy at the interface of climate security and human security.
Main Topics:
- Relevance of climate change for German security policy
- Coherence in response to the climate crisis given the interrelationship between the domestic and foreign policy dimensions of climate policy
- Consequences of climate migration and displacement worldwide
- Geoeconomic dimensions of the climate crisis: German climate and energy policy and international climate diplomacy
- Role of civilian crisis prevention in hindering the escalation of resource conflicts
- International legal dimensions of the climate crisis
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Applications for Our Research
Droughts, storms, floods – climate impacts are occurring worldwide, and the major societal, political, and economic challenges that they pose need addressing. Therefore, one focus of our research is the link between climate impacts and security risks. Climate change affects different areas of human security, including the destruction of natural livelihoods and traditional identities. While many developing countries are particularly affected, they have contributed least to causing climate change through greenhouse gas emissions.
People whose source of income is directly linked to healthy ecosystems, for example through fishing or agriculture, may face hardship due to climate change. One consequence of this is climate migration. Thus, another of our cross-cutting themes is the study of these interrelationships and possible humanitarian emergencies, as well as related issues of international law.
In addition, we assess the geoeconomic dimensions of climate change. As one of the largest economies in the world and the largest CO2 emitter in Europe, Germany has both a special responsibility for international climate policy and a significant capacity to act. In this context, we address the foreign policy challenges related to Germany’s climate and energy policy as well as its climate diplomacy. The geopolitics of resource flows for transformative technologies play an increasingly important role here, especially in terms of implementing the European Green Deal.
At the Center for Climate and Foreign Policy, we pursue an interdisciplinary research approach. Experts with backgrounds in the natural sciences, political science, and law work together to develop recommendations for action for German foreign policy that are as holistic as possible and do justice to the cross-disciplinary nature of the climate crisis. In addition, we use synergies with other program areas to strengthen DGAP’s research on global climate policy issues.
Publications
Anticipating Vulnerability Hotspots in the Sahel
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Die schlechte Nachricht: Für den Erhalt des Planeten muss die Menschheit schnellstmöglich auf Nachhaltigkeit umstellen. Die gute Nachricht: An den Lösungen wird bereits gearbeitet.