Held in advance of the May 2017 G7 meeting, the event, ‘Environmental Security in a Changing World,’ discussed critical environmental issues on the proposed G7 agenda and ways to address environmental challenges in an evolving political landscape.
The event was held during the sixth UN Global Environment Outlook (GEO-6) authors meeting, which convened in Frascati, Italy, from 20–24 February.
The meeting addressed the environmental dimensions of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, actions needed to implement the Paris Agreement on climate change, and the linkages between these agreements and the G7 agenda.
March 2017: The relationship between the environment and the security of humans and nature is becoming more complex and is critical to international environmental policy, according to environmental scientists and other experts who gathered for a high-level event on environmental security. Held in advance of the May 2017 G7 meeting, the event, ‘Environmental Security in a Changing World,’ discussed critical environmental issues on the proposed G7 agenda and ways to address environmental challenges in an evolving political landscape.
The dialogue, the second in a series of multi-stakeholder events that aim to track and communicate progress towards meeting targets set by the Paris Agreement on climate change and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, was organized by UN Environment and supported by the Italian Presidency of the G7 Summit. The event included the participation of approximately 130 scientists from 40 countries who are members of the panel producing the sixth UN Global Environment Outlook (GEO-6). Members of civil society, the business sector and the media also attended the event.
During the first part of the dialogue, which focused on the G7 agenda, and uncertainties, challenges and opportunities, participants emphasized, inter alia: the importance of a unified G7 position for implementing the Paris Agreement and 2030 Agenda; the role of science and the scientific community in supporting policy; the importance of scientific assessments to track and analyze the state of the environment and the impact of policy to inform decision making; and the role of space technology and Earth observations in achieving sustainable development.
The second part of the discourse focused on the economics of sustainability and keeping temperature rise under 2°C. Panelists stressed: that trade-offs do not have to exist between growth and sustainability; sustainability as a prerequisite and driver for economic growth in the 21st century; the role of the private sector and non-state actors in reducing emissions and contributing to realization of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs); and efforts by companies to fully decarbonize the energy mix by 2050.
Regarding the third part of the dialogue, which looked at the environmental dimension of the 2030 Agenda, panelists highlighted conditions required to build resilient ecosystems for sustainable food systems, as well as the need to support actions by developing countries related to implementation of the Paris Agreement and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
The event was held on 21 February 2017 during the sixth GEO authors meeting, which convened in Frascati, Italy, from 20–24 February. GEO reports assess the state of the environment, evaluate environmental trends, challenges, policy interventions and propose policy options. [UN Environment Media Advisory] [IISD Sources]