Just over two years ago, Christophe Hodder was elected as the first UN Climate Security and Environmental Advisor in Somalia. Since then, he has led a global effort to bring peace to a country that has been mired in three decades of civil war. A key part of his mission is to help Somalia combat a record-setting drought and a series of other environmental problems, which are blamed for fueling the conflict. We sat down with Hodder to talk about Somalia’s declining rainfall, how climate change is increasing insecurity, and how to rebuild the country.
Somalia is in the midst of an ongoing drought for the rest of 2020 more than 7 million people were affected. Is climate change the cause of the lack of rain?
Christophe Hodder (CH): While it is very difficult to make direct causal links between climate change and what is currently happening in Somalia, it is clear that extreme weather events, such as droughts and floods, are occurring regularly. Droughts used to occur in Somalia every 10 years. But the last drought was in 2018.
How do climate change and natural resource extraction contribute to conflict and insecurity in Somalia?
CH: Rising temperatures (and) environmental degradation increase competition, which leads to conflict. In Somalia, pastoralists and farmers often compete for pastures or agricultural lands. Stefan Döring’s research shows how declining water levels in wells have led to an increase in communal violence across Africa. In Somalia, such communal violence has led to intra- and inter-clan conflicts and legitimization of militant groups.
Somalia has been in a civil war since 1991. How can environmental peacekeeping contribute to peacekeeping?
CH: Many of the past interventions have neglected environmental sustainability as something that can lead to stronger peacebuilding outcomes. We must work with military, police and maritime authorities to mainstream climate and environmental thinking to create longer-term solutions that consider the environment, ecosystems and human security.
Can you give us some examples of that?
CH: In Somalia, we are trying to mediate with nature. We also look at how to reduce the destruction of natural resources, such as cutting down trees for charcoal, which causes desertification, more conflict over natural resources and displacement. Likewise, UNEP is working with the Food and Agriculture Organization to model and test Nature-based Solutions.
Can you tell us more about UNEP’s work on environmental mediation?
CH: We tried a method where we brought together two clans to understand climate change [and position it] as antagonists, rather than each other. We are trying to understand where there is competition or conflict over resources and how Nature-based Solutions can help solve it.
[For example], instead of just digging a borehole and thinking that’s it, we look at the water table, the health of the soil in the area, and the potential of rewinding to lead to a larger area of pastures. We hope that these medium- to longer-term Nature-based Solutions will be the subject of an ongoing discussion between the clans that will hopefully lead to a reduction in conflict.
There is no formal protection under international law for climate refugees, but climate-related displacement is a major issue in Somalia and the Horn of Africa. How do we solve this?
CH: The International Organization for Migration (IOM) and UNEP have done extensive work with Samuel Hall on the climate and conflict displacement cycle in Somalia. It shows that while populations displaced by conflict are often able to relocate and return to their homes and livelihoods, those displaced by climate often cannot return because their lands are destroyed.
At the same time, climate displaced people often flee to urban areas, causing rapid and unplanned urbanization and issues in cities. UNEP is currently working with IOM in Galmudug on a project funded by the European Union to build resilience in communities and find sustainable alternatives to displacement.
From your experiences in Somalia, how important is it that we consider the effects of climate change and our responses to it through a gender lens?
CH: Focusing on gender is very important. In Somalia, women and children make up the majority of the displaced population. Displaced women face the burden of providing for their families in extremely challenging contexts. There is also a high prevalence of sexual and gender-based violence. In addition to meeting women’s protection needs, our work must promote the full and meaningful inclusion of women in peacebuilding. It has been shown that when women are involved in mediation and peace building processes it leads to a more sustainable peace.
How can we encourage global action to combat slow-onset disasters, such as climate change and severe drought, in Somalia?
CH: I don’t think it’s a slow start anymore. Obviously it’s here now. We need to make the connections between climate change and what is happening in Somalia. But not just Somalia. Look at Sudan, the Sahel, Mali, Afghanistan. Climate change leads to increased human needs.
We need to highlight how pollution in developed countries contributes to these humanitarian disasters. We need to accelerate the Paris Agreement and focus on green climate finance. We need to increase emergency funding to help countries, such as Somalia, that are struggling to access climate financing.
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