Bridging the Climate Divide: Can Risk Management Reveal a Prudent Path Forward?

Despite global commitments to limit the most severe impacts of global climate change there is increasing uncertainty about whether and how these goals will be reached and if the global community is truly preparing to manage the security risks of a changing climate.  Dealing with this range of uncertainty will require thoughtful and frank discussions that are out of step with the current politically polarized atmosphere surrounding climate change issues in the United States.  The CSIS Energy Program is pleased to host a luncheon to discuss the merits of a risk management response to potential climate security threats.  To kick off this discussion, the non-profit organization E3G will launch a new report, Degrees of Risk: Defining a Risk Management Framework for Climate Security.  E3G’s report is the result of a two year series of closed-door meetings with U.S. and European security, intelligence and defense officials.  Following a brief presentation about the report, there will be a roundtable conversation amongst the authors and U.S. security officials regarding the potential challenges and merits of adopting a risk management approach.

Agenda

12:00 pm Welcome & Lunch
Sarah Ladislaw, Senior Fellow, Energy and National Security Program, CSIS

12:30 pm Presentation by Report Authors
Nick Mabey, CEO and Founding Director, E3G
Dr. Jay Gulledge, Senior Scientist and Director for Science and Impacts, Pew Center on Global Climate Change

12:50 pm Remarks followed by a Roundtable Discussion with Current Security Officials
Rear Admiral David Titley, Oceanographer and Navigator of the Navy and Director of Navy Task Force Climate Change
Dr. Daniel Chiu, Principal Director of Strategy, Office of the Secretary of Defense
Moderator:
Edward McBride, Washington Correspondent, The Economist

1:15 pm Questions and Discussion

Registration required.