US halts German Security Council push for UN climate conflict monitoring

The United States has, for the moment, put a halt to Germany’s ambitions to set up a system to monitor climate change-related conflicts at the UN Security Council, reports dpa, carried by n-tv. Drought and other pressures related to climate change are increasingly being linked to the potential for armed conflicts around the world. Germany, which has a two-year membership in the Security Council running to 2021, therefore proposed setting up a mechanism for the United Nations to identify potential climate-linked conflicts, with a special representative regularly reporting on related developments to the Security Council.

Resolutions need the support of nine out of 15 council members to be accepted, although the five permanent members—the United States, Russia, China, Britain and France—have veto power. While German diplomats indicated they had sufficient support for their draft resolution, the United States made it clear it would oppose it, dpa reports.

Germany has used its non-permanent membership in the Security Council to push for the body to become more directly involved in assessing and finding solutions to climate change-related security risks. But under President Donald Trump, the United States has consistently deprioritised climate efforts. The report notes that many diplomats are waiting to see whether the November elections might produce a more climate-friendly US administration.