A Climate for War?

A Climate for War? A Critical Examination of Western Militaries’ Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Defence Expenditures and Energy Security Strategies
Presentation synopsis:
This presentation examines the fuel consumption and climate impacts of the American, British and Canadian militaries. It investigates how emissions by these militaries are reported or not in the national greenhouse gas inventories submitted to the United Nations’ Framework Convention on Climate Change. Military policies, Access to Information requests, academic journal articles and think tank reports are reviewed to determine how these three western militaries are dealing with the challenges of climate change and energy insecurity. Many important questions are raised: How will the recommended carbon constraints recommended by the UNFCCC and national governments affect the military, one of the state’s most fossil fuel-dependent institutions? Where is the place for the military in the future “radical restructuring of the economy and energy systems,” as called for by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change? How can countries like the U.S., the U.K., and Canada achieve net-zero greenhouse gas reductions by 2050 and meet financial commitments under the UN Green Climate Fund and the new Sustainable Development Goals while maintaining high defence spending as demanded by NATO? Research findings place peace and disarmament at the centre of climate change mitigation and adaptation solutions.
Bio:
Tamara Lorincz graduated with an MA in International Politics & Security Studies from the University of Bradford in the United Kingdom in 2015. She was awarded the Rotary International World Peace Fellowship for 2013-2014 and was a senior researcher for the International Peace Bureau in Switzerland. She is currently on the board of the Canadian Voice of Women for Peace and the international advisory committee of Global Network Against Nuclear Power and Weapons in Space. She is also a member of the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom. Tamara has an LLB/JSD and MBA specializing in environmental law and management from Dalhousie University. She is the former Executive Director of the Nova Scotia Environmental Network and spokesperson for the Halifax Peace Coalition. Her current research focuses on the military’s impacts on the environment and climate change, the nexus of peace, sustainable development and security, gender and international relations, and military sexual violence.
Organized by the NS Voice of Women and the Centre for Foreign Policy Studies. In recognition of the UN International Day for Preventing the Exploitation of the Environment in War and Armed Conflict (http://www.un.org/en/events/environmentconflictday/).