annual conference 2023
10 November
beyond the theory: delivering climate & security action
our 2023 annual conference, co-hosted with the UK Ministry of Defence, will consider how we transition from theory to action
Lieutenant General
Richard Wardlaw OBE
military keynote speaker
Lieutenant General Richard Wardlaw, formerly Chief of Defence Logistics and Support, was responsible for developing and overseeing the implementation of a cross-cutting, pan-Defence strategy for Support, a c£14-billion/annum enterprise covering every facet of Logistics, Engineering and Equipment Support.
As our honoured Military Keynote Speaker, Lieutenant General Wardlaw draws on more than 29 years’ service in the Army and NATO including key staff posts such as Assistant Director Manning, Director Plans (Army), Chief of Staff Allied Rapid Reaction Corps (ARRC) and Director Army Basing and Infrastructure. He has been stationed around the globe in Hong Kong, Brunei, the Falkland Islands, Germany, and the UK. He has served on operations in Northern Ireland, Bosnia, Iraq and Afghanistan. He was appointed OBE in 2012.
political keynote
panel session
Lt Gen (ret) Richard Nugee (chair)
Alex Sobel MP
Dr Kira Vinke (DGAP)
Wera Hobhouse MP
Baroness Annabel Goldie
our directors
the opening address will be made by Professor Tim Clack, and the closing address will be made my Mr James Clare.
other sessions
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beyond the words
delivering effective climate and security diplomacy
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beyond the spreadsheets
delivering robust climate and security doctrine
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beyond the analysis
delivering actionable climate and security intelligence
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beyond the wargames
delivering practical climate and security insight
conference speakers:
session 1 – beyond the wargames: delivering practical climate & security insight
chair: Tom Odell (DSTL)
Elizabeth Boulton (Australian National University)
Major Matt Stott (British Army)
Duraid Jalili (KCL)
Kyungmee Kim (SIPRI)
session 2 – beyond the analysis: delivering actionable climate & security intelligence
chair: Louise Selisny (University of Oxford)
Matt Ince (Dragonfly)
Arnaud Boehmann (Climate Security Analyst)
Dr Kate White (Program Director Climate change, US DOD)
Mo Rickets (Met Office)
session 3 – beyond the words: delivering effective climate & security diplomacy
chair: Al Harris (ARK)
Faisa Loyaan (CCIP)
Neil Beauchamp (Head of International Climate Engagement, FCDO)
Will Kirk (Climate Change & Sustainability Directorate, UK MoD)
Colonel Will Davies (British Army, Jordan Defence Attache)
session 4 – beyond the spreadsheets: delivering robust climate & security doctrine
chair: Professor Matthias Strohn (CHACR)
Thammy Evans (CCIP)
Richard Brewin (NATO)
Commander Rachael Gosnell (US Navy)
Group Captain Maurice Dixon (RAF)
session 5 – beyond the polls: delivering informed climate & security policy
chair: Lieutenant General (ret) Richard Nugee (CCIP)
Baroness Annabel Goldie (Minister of State, Ministry of Defence)
Wera Hobhouse MP (Liberal Democrat Shadow Leader of the House of Commons)
Alex Sobel MP (former Shadow Minister, Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Dr Kira Vinke (Head of the Center for Climate and Foreign Policy, DGAP)
The Climate Change & (In)Security Project and the UK Ministry of Defence are delighted to co-host this event and facilitate the exchange of insights. The views and analyses shared at the event by speakers do not in any way represent or commit the CCIP or the MoD
for presentations and panel discussions from our annual conference 2022 please see below:
introduction and opening keynote
Contextual Introduction by Dr Tim Clack, Director, climate change & (in)security project.
Opening Address by Mr James Clare, Director, MOD Climate Change and Sustainability Directorate.
assessing climate insecurity within a defence context
Chaired by Mr Matt Ince, Research Associate, climate change & (in)security project.
Panel Members: Dr Irene Mia; Ms Olivia Lazard, Carnegie Europe; Mr Chris Hodder, United Nations (Climate Security and Environment); and Ms Laura Birkman, Hague Centre for Strategic Studies (HCSS).
anticipating future threats through foresight and experimentation
Chaired by Dr Duncan Depledge, University of Loughborough.
Panel Members: Hon. Sharon Burke, Ecosperics; Ms Lucia Retter, RAND Europe; and Mr Paul Larcey, Princeton University.
acting to increase climate security literacy & strengthen preparedness
Chaired by Major Tristan Burwell, Research Associate, climate change & (in)security project.
Panel members: Brigadier John Clark, British Army; Commander Andrea Cameron, US Naval War College; Dr Duraid Jalili, Kings College London; and Mr Laurie Laybourn-Langton.
adapting to maintain decision advantage in a climate insecure world
Chaired by Ms Thammy Evans, Senior Research Associate, climate change & (in)security project.
Panel members: Lieutenant General (ret) Richard Nugee, UK MOD; Ms Erin Sikorsky, Center for Climate and Security; Professor Joshua Busby, University of Texas; and Mr Alistair Harris, ARK.
closing keynote
Chaired and introduced by Ensign Logan Williams, Research Intern, climate change & (in)security project.
Keynote Address by Ms Blair Brimmell, Interim Director, NATO Climate Change and Security Centre of Excellence (CCASCOE),
for presentations and panel discussions from our annual conference 2021 please see below:
opening session:
Dr Timothy Clack, University of Oxford, introduces CCIP and establishes the foundation for the conference discussion.
The Opening Address is given by Lt General (Ret.) Richard Nugee, Climate Change and Sustainability Non Executive Director at the UK Ministry of Defence.
panel I: climate change effects & adaptation
Chair: Ms Louise Selisny
Panellists: Prof Joanna Haigh, Prof Sam Fankhauser, and Prof Jon Barnett.
Panel I explores why climate change is affecting inhabited regions, what we can do to adapt to these effects, and how we can mitigate and reduce these effects.
panel II: climate change geography & politics
Chair: Dr Tim Clack
Panellists: Prof Kimberly Marten, Prof Dave Anderson, Dr Tim Benton, and Dr Richard Milburn
Panel II explores the impact climate change is having on human geography and politics across the world, with case studies from Africa and the Arctic.
panel III: security & humanitarian crises
Chair: Ms Thammy Evans
Panellists: Ms Pauline Chetcuti, Prof Thom Brooks, Ms Lauren Herzer-Risi, and The Right Hon. Sherri Goodman
Panel III explores the insecurities created by climate change and how these impact and trigger ongoing and new humanitarian crises.
panel IV: implications for defence
Chair: Dr Ziya Meral
Panellists: Ambassador (Ret.) Tacan Ildem, Brig John Clark, Mr Philip Tovey, and Prof Matthew Paterson
Panel IV explores the implications of climate change insecurity on defence and how the UK and NATO are responding to the emerging challenges and opportunities for policies and politics.
closing address:
Prof Thomas Homer-Dixon, Director of the Cascade Institute and Research Chair at the University of Waterloo, reflects on three decades of climate change and conflict.
He concludes that climate change has become such a powerful factor in shaping economies, agricultural production, and destabilising societies around the world that it now constitutes a distinct security threat.
In short, climate change is no longer just a multiplier of other threats - it is now a significant security threat in itself.