Climate Change and Security in South Asia: Cooperating for Peace

South Asia is on the front line in confronting the implications of climate change and addressing the consequences for security. Climate change could undermine peace and security in South Asia - a region which is already politically unstable and particularly vulnerable to further impacts. Rising temperatures, floods and irregular rain patterns will hit particularly hard in Bangladesh, India and Pakistan, and are expected to exacerbate livelihood insecurity in the region.

This report outlines the drivers and perceptions of environmental security change within the region, illustrates the signs and impacts of climate change for South Asia and discusses the consequences of these impact which can lead to important security challenges.

The briefing - addressed especially to the security sector - also reports on what is already being done to address these challenges and concludes with specific recommendations for further action on the national, bilateral and regional levels where new climate strategies will need to be evolved. 

Continuous dialogue and cooperation on a common challenge such as climate change can act as a catalyst for long term peace in the region.

If South Asia can archive success in cooperation against the is common and urgent challenge, it would a be a model for other parts of the world.