As part of a series of activities throughout 2007 exploring the link between Climate Change and security, RUSI hosted a one-day conference on Climate Security in Asia on 24 April 2007. The inaugural conference in this series took place in January and focused on the impact of climate change on global security.

While Europe and the United States concentrate their trade relationship with a booming Asia, it is easy to overlook income disparities, the inequality between urban and rural populations and vulnerability to climate change. Solutions must be developed through international cooperation to mitigate the inherent risks associated with an Asian renaissance and the security implications of climate change in the region.

EU states have recently agreed binding measures to radically cut carbon dioxide emissions by 2020 and it is hoped that both India and China will commit to similar reductions at the G8 summit in June. Asia’s responsibility for a growing proportion of the world’s CO2 emissions and its vulnerability to climate change make it a key proving ground in achieving climate security.

This conference opened up the debate on Climate Security in Asia to key European and Asian government practitioners, experts and interest groups from the UK’s Defence and Security sector, the London diplomatic and academic community, parliamentarians, industry leaders and the media.

Four core themes

• The security implications of climate change in Asia
• International interpretations of Asian climate security
• UK climate security policy and engagement in Asia
• Options for mitigation: cooperation and multilateral engagement

Confimed speakers

• Mr. John Ashton
  UK Foreign Secretary’s Special Representative for Climate Change
• Dr. Zhao Xingshu
  Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Beijing
• Dr. Wang Hanjie
  Institute of Meteorology & Chemical Defense, Equipment Academy of Airforce China
• Professor Brahma Chellaney
  Centre for Policy Research, Delhi
• Dr. Bob Bradnock
  Visiting Senior Research Fellow, King’s College London
• Dr. Ligia Noronha
  Director of  the  Resources and Global Security Division, TERI India.
• Dr. San Feng
  China Centre for Economic Information
• Dr. Cornelia Meyer
  Chairman, British-Swiss Chamber of Commerce
• Professor Andrew Leung
  International independent China specialist and founder and Chairman, Andrew Leung International Consultants
• Ambassador Dilip Lahiri
  Former Indian