Issues: CLIMATE CHANGE AND MIGRATION: WHAT ARE THE CONNECTIONS? CLIMATE CHANGE, ENVIRONMENTAL SECURITY AND NATURAL DISASTERS ENERGY AND HUMAN SECURITY FOOD SECURITY HEALTH AND HUMAN SECURITY Note: Please click on the respective titles or headers for the full report. Disclaimer: All links and news reports are correct at the time of publication. Click here to register for the first International Conference on Asian Food Security 2011 (ICAFS). MacArthur Asia Security Initiative Blog Click here for updates!

MAIN HIGHLIGHT

Climate Change and Migration: What Are the Connections?

The Jakarta Post recently reported experts as saying that ‘[e]xtreme weather caused by climate change has given people another reason to migrate’. The comment was made in reference to a soon-to-be released report by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) titled Climate Change and Migration in Asia and the Pacific. The report seeks to illuminate ways in which climate will alter regional migration dynamics, and comes at a time when proclamations that climate change may cause large-scale global population movements largely dominate discussions. Early indications suggest that the ADB publication will present more tempered findings that identify climate change as a ‘relatively minor’ driver of migration among the many motivations to move. Such findings could contribute to a needed shift away from apocalyptic climate displacement analysis towards more nuanced approaches to the relationship between climate change and migration.

Much prevailing literature asserts that climate-change related displacement will create a host of challenges for both migrant and receiving communities and could result in reduced quality of life, societal friction and violent altercations. However, while the seriousness of existing and projected climate challenges leaves little doubt that climate change will have significant impacts across a range of geographical and political spectrums, the effects that it will have on human migration are difficult to assess. What is certain with regard to climate change and migration is that, as evidenced throughout human history, migration will continue to result from complex combinations of push and pull factors, underlying causal dynamics and trigger events. Rather than fundamentally altering the traditional contexts and characteristics of migration, climate change will act in concert with them.

In Southeast Asia, this means that climate change will likely have the effect of accelerating existing trends of urbanisation. People have flocked to cities and peri-urban areas in unprecedented numbers over the past several decades, and the projected effects of climate change will make urban options increasingly attractive. As individuals, families or even whole communities experience the effects of shifting climatic conditions, they will develop both immediate and longer term needs that can be most readily met in cities. Urbanisation is thus an important and arguably underestimated variable of migration that is induced at least in part by climate change, and has, in Southeast Asia, the potential to create and exacerbate a myriad of future challenges.

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CLIMATE CHANGE, ENVIRONMENTAL SECURITY AND NATURAL DISASTERS

News & Commentaries

• ‘Researchers Try to Help Prevent Climate Change Conflict’, Voice of America, 11 May 2011.
• ‘UN Climate Change Chief Urges Governments to Accelerate Talks on Emissions Reduction’, UN News Centre, 12 May 2011.
• Varner, Bill and Jim Efstathiou Jr., ‘Climate Treaty Is Possible, UN Envoy Says, Rejecting U.S. View”, Bloomberg, 13 May 2011.
• Cohen, Boyd, ‘Top 10 Elected Officials Leading the Transition to a Low Carbon Economy’, TriplePundit, 17 May 2011.
• Hoaës, Irene, ‘Opportunities Will Arise from Climate Change’, New Era, 18 May 2011.
• Vastag, Brian, ‘Climate-change Aid to Developing World Difficult to Track, Report Says’, The Washington Post, 20 May 2011.
• Hoe, Yeen Nie, ‘Climate Change, Water Security among Dr Balakrishnan’s Priorities’, Channel NewsAsia, 21 May 2011.
• Khalid, Rasheed, ‘Climate Change Is a “Gift” of the Developed World: Expert’, The News International, 25 May 2011.

Selected Publications

• Ewing, J. Jackson, 2011, Food Production Strategies and Environmental Health in Southeast Asia: The Search for Complementary Strategies, NTS Policy Brief No. 11, Singapore: RSIS Centre for Non-Traditional Security (NTS) Studies.

This policy brief explores challenges associated with the dual objectives of maintaining food security and environmental health in Southeast Asia. The brief argues that effective employment of agrotechnology represents a key part of any strategy being pursued to this end.  

• Singh, Abhaya Kumar, 2011, ‘The Environmental Challenges and Its Security Implications for South Asia’, in Behnassi, Mohamed, Sidney Draggan and Sanni Yaya (eds), Global Food Insecurity: Rethinking Agricultural and Rural Development Paradigm and Policy, London: Springer.

This book chapter provides a conceptual overview of connections between the environment and security threats, and explores the many ways in which these considerations are relevant for contemporary South Asia. 

Events & Announcements

• ‘Rural Energy and Climate Initiative Workshop and Marketplace’, 11–13 July 2011, Siem Reap, Cambodia.
• ‘Sixth International Symposium on Non-CO2 Greenhouse Gases (NCGG-6) – Science, Policy and Integration’, 2–4 November 2011, Amsterdam, Netherlands.

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ENERGY AND HUMAN SECURITY

News & Commentaries

• Osser, Bernard, ‘Poland Dreams of Becoming Shale Gas El Dorado’, AFP, 30 April 2011.
• Hook, Leslie, ‘China Forced to Ration Electricity’, CNN, 18 May 2011.
• Chin, Josh, ‘Beijing Admits to “Urgent” Problems with Three Gorges Dam’, The Wall Street Journal, 19 May 2011.
• Lomborg, Bjorn, ‘The Myth of Energy Security’, The Economic Times, 19 May 2011.
• Nugroho, Hanan, ‘ASEAN Energy Cooperation: Facts and Challenges’, The Jakarta Post, 19 May 2011.
• Marusiak, Jenny, ‘Coal Will Trump Gas in Southeast Asia: Report’, Eco-Business.com, 20 May 2011.  
• ‘Japan, China, S. Korea Grapple with Nuclear Energy Security, The Voice of Russia, 22 May 2011.  
• Hess, Glenn, ‘Japan to Develop Renewable Energy’, Chemical and Engineering News, 23 May 2011.

Selected Publications

• Prantl, Jochen, 2011, ‘Why We Need a Debate about Geoengineering Governance … Now’, NTS Alert, April (Issue 1), Singapore: RSIS Centre for Non-Traditional Security (NTS) Studies for NTS-Asia.

This NTS Alert reviews the application of geoengineering technologies in tackling climate change and analyses its development in the future. It points out that geoengineering remains very controversial and there would be a need for a set of mechanisms to govern and regulate states.

• Prantl, Jochen, 2011, ‘Debating Geoengineering Governance: How It Matters to the Asia-Pacific Region’, NTS Alert, April (Issue 2), Singapore: RSIS Centre for Non-Traditional Security (NTS) Studies for NTS-Asia.

This is the second of two NTS Alerts on geoengineering. It highlights the need for the Asia-Pacific to engage in the debate on geoengineering given the climate change challenges faced by countries in the region and the limits in their capacity to address them. It identifies three initial steps to initiate the discussion in the region – regional consultations, scenario-building, and public and civil society engagement.

• The National Bureau of Asian Research, 2011, Unlocking the Potential of Natural Gas in the Asia-Pacific – 2011 Summit Report, Seattle.

The report provides an outlook on the energy and climate security landscape in the Asia-Pacific and highlights the importance of meeting growing regional energy demands. By examining the regional mix of energy consumption and supply, it points out that natural gas is an optimal option to solve the problem. However, investment and governance in this regard need to be strengthened in order to fully explore the potential of natural gas.

Events & Announcements

• ‘Unconventional Gas Asia’, 11–12 July 2011, Singapore.
• ‘Energy Efficiency Summit’, 12–13 July 2011, Bangkok, Thailand.

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FOOD SECURITY

News & Commentaries

• Gopalan, Nisha, ‘As Food Surges, So Do Food Company Valuations’, The Wall Street Journal, 26 April 2011.
• Berthelsen, John, ‘South Korea’s Food Security Alarm’, Asia Sentinel, 29 April 2011.
• Kaushal, Neeraj, ‘India’s Child Malnutrition Puzzle’, The Economic Times, 29 April 2011.
• ‘Indonesia Warns ASEAN on Food, Energy Prices’, AFP, 7 May 2011.
• Belford, Audrey, ‘Southeast Asia Talks Leave Two Key Issues Unresolved’, The New York Times, 8 May 2011.
• Rooney, Ben, ‘World Wastes 1 Billion Tons of Food a Year’, CNN, 11 May 2011.
• Schearf, Daniel, ‘Urgent Measures Needed on Food Prices in Asia, Warns UN’, Voice of America, 11 May 2011.
• Keeratipipatpong, Walailak, ‘Thai Food Security under Threat’, Bangkok Post, 12 May 2011.
• Mucke, Bess, ‘A Deficient Approach’, Slow Food, 16 May 2011.
• Yudhistira, Geradi, ‘Genetically Modified Food and Food Security’, The Jakarta Post, 16 May 2011.
• Ethirajan, Anbarasan, ‘Bangladeshi Companies Launch Africa Farm Lease Plan’, BBC, 17 May 2011.
• Kinver, Mark, ‘Plant Clinics Scheme to Boost Food Security’, BBC, 17 May 2011.
• ‘RI Told to Learn from Thailand, Japan to Manage Food Supply’, The Jakarta Post, 18 May 2011.

Selected Publications

• Banerjee, Abhijit and Esther Duflo, 2011, ‘More than 1 Billion People Are Hungry in the World’, Foreign Policy, The Food Issue: Inside the Geopolitics of a Hungry Planet, May/June.

Banerjee and Duflo question the famous 2009 Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) statistic claiming that more than 1 billion people around the world suffer from hunger. The authors also question many popular proposals aimed at solving the problems that cause food insecurity, such as increased aid provision. They suggest that perhaps, the real causes of hunger in the modern world lies not in quantity but quality of food, and that more steps need to be taken towards investing in new ways of alleviating poverty instead of repeating old methods.

• Keating, Joshua, 2011, ‘How Food Explains the World’, Foreign Policy, The Food Issue: Inside the Geopolitics of a Hungry Planet, May/June.

Keating examines the direct ways in which global politics influence our food security and consumption patterns. Examples he cites include China’s strategic pork reserve that can be released during times of food shortage, and using cell phone technology to deliver food aid vouchers, exchangeable for staple foods at selected shops, to refugees in war zones and conflict regions.

• Moir, Brian and Paul Morris, 2011, ‘Global Food Security: Facts, Issues and Implications’, Science and Economic Insights: Agriculture and Food, Issue 1, Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Statistics.

This report provides a broad overview of global food security from an Australian perspective. It addresses the issues of population growth, global income growth, food demand and food consumption pattern changes, global food production and food trade trends, and how Australia can assist developing countries to achieve food security without compromising its own.

Events & Announcements

• ‘FAO Policy Seminar in Southern Africa to Address High Food Prices’, 6–8 June 2011, Lilongwe, Malawi.
• ‘FAO Policy Seminar in South America to Address High Food Prices’, 7–8 June 2011, Santiago, Chile.
• ‘FAO Policy Seminar in Central America to Address High Food Prices’, 15–16 June 2011, San Salvador, El Salvador.
• ‘FAO Policy Seminar to Address High Food Prices – Europe and Central Asia’, 20–22 June 2011, Istanbul, Turkey.
• ‘International Conference on Asian Food Security (ICAFS)’, 10–12 August 2011, Singapore.

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HEALTH AND HUMAN SECURITY

News & Commentaries

• Oi, Mariko, ‘Drug Makers Develop Medicines to Meet Asia’s Needs’, BBC, 2 May 2011.
• ‘UN Panel: South Asian Cholera Strain in Haiti’, AP, 4 May 2011.
• ‘Sanofi Aims to Launch Dengue Vaccine in 2014’, AlertNet, 13 May 2011.
• ‘World Health Assembly Opens, Pandemic Influenza High on Agenda’, Xinhua, 16 May 2011.
• Capdevila, Gustavo, ‘WHO Report: Diseases Once Linked to Rich Nations Increasingly Affect Poor’, Guardian, 17 May 2011.
• Ninh, Amie, ‘Should We Destroy the Last of the World’s Smallpox Virus?’, Time, 18 May 2011.
• Goldberg, Mark Leon, ‘From the World Health Assembly: New Commitments for Women and Children’s Health’, UN Dispatch, 19 May 2011.
• Marks, Kathy, ‘Church and State Clash over Sex and Condoms in the Philippines’, The Independent, 19 May 2011.
• Schlein, Lisa, ‘Lifestyle Factors at Root of Non-communicable Disease Crisis’, Voice of America, 19 May 2011.
• Mcneil, Donald, ‘Chinese Reduce AIDS Deaths’, The Sydney Morning Herald, 20 May 2011.

Selected Publications

• Das, Jishnu, 2011, ‘The Quality of Medical Care in Low-income Countries: From Providers to Markets’, PLoS Medicine, Vol. 8, No. 4, 12 April.

This article reviews a 2011 study titled ‘Quality of Private and Public Ambulatory Health Care in Low and Middle Income Countries: Systematic Review of Comparative Studies’ by Berendes, Heywood, Oliver and Garner. It argues that while Berendes et al.’s findings that problems of access are salient for populations as a whole are important, quality remains the most likely constraining factor in achieving universal medical care across populations.

• Kamradt-Scott, Adam, 2011, ‘A Public Health Emergency of International Concern? Response to a Proposal to Apply the International Health Regulations to Antimicrobial Resistance’, PLoS Medicine, Vol. 8, No. 4, 19 April.

In this piece, Kamradt-Scott counters a proposal that the 2005 International Health Regulations (IHR) should be applied to all cases of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). He argues that the IHR was designed to deal with acute public health conditions that are readily transmissible and disruptive to international trade – and not every AMR episode constitutes such a public health emergency. He also contended that the reporting requirements would be too overwhelming for the World Health Organization (WHO) and its member states.

• Looker, Clare and Heath Kelly, 2011, ‘No-fault Compensation following Adverse Events Attributed to Vaccination: A Review of International Programmes’, Bulletin of the World Health Organization, Vol. 89, No. 5, May, pp. 371–8.

This article presents a review of 19 programmes that provide no-fault compensation for an adverse event following vaccination, and determined their common elements, such as administration and funding, eligibility, process- and decision-making, etc. The authors argue that these programmes have been successful and viable in developed countries worldwide, and that there is a strong case for widespread implementation of such programmes in other nations.

Events & Announcements

• ‘World Blood Donor Day’, 14 June 2011, Worldwide.
• ‘United Nations High-level Meeting on Noncommunicable Disease Prevention and Control’, 19–20 September 2011, New York, US.

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About the Centre:

The Centre for Non-Traditional Security (NTS) Studies of the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies was inaugurated by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Secretary-General Dr Surin Pitsuwan in May 2008. The Centre maintains research in the fields of Food Security, Climate Change, Energy Security, Health Security as well as Internal and Cross-Border Conflict. It produces policy-relevant analyses aimed at furthering awareness and building capacity to address NTS issues and challenges in the Asia-Pacific region and beyond. The Centre also provides a platform for scholars and policymakers within and outside Asia to discuss and analyse NTS issues in the region.

In 2009, the Centre was chosen by the MacArthur Foundation as a lead institution for the MacArthur Asia Security Initiative, to develop policy research capacity and recommend policies on the critical security challenges facing the Asia-Pacific.

The Centre is also a founding member and the Secretariat for the Consortium of Non-Traditional Security (NTS) Studies in Asia (NTS-Asia). More information on the Centre can be found at www.rsis.edu.sg/nts.