STATEMENT DELIVERED BY MR. GIAN LUCA GALLETTI, MINISTER OF THE ENVIRONMENT, THE PROTECTION OF THE LAND AND SEA, AT THE SECURITY COUNCIL OPEN ARRIA-FORMULA MEETING ON “THE ROLE OF CLIMATE CHANGE AS A THREAT MULTIPLIER FOR GLOBAL SECURITY” (30 June 2015)

Science and politics have completely aligned at last: Climate change has as an effect the delocalization of access to the many resources our ecosystems have to offer humankind. The availability of water, the regeneration and fertility of the soil, access to maritime routes, stability of the weather for agricultural planning, rising sea levels are just but a few examples of the rapid evolution of the ecosystem that compels us to adapt our economic and social structures to them.

These dynamics touch every region and country of the world, but where order and social peace are weaker, climate change triggers forms of chaotic competition to secure resources that are no longer available in nature in a more stable and foreseeable way. Not by chance, NATO defines climate change as an “Accelerator of Conflict.”

This problem knows no boundaries traced on maps, needs no visa to travel from country to country. Instability, illegality and violence caused by sudden loss of a future of a decent and foreseeable life have a tendency of spreading throughout the entire world and of multiplying their effects. Of all the threats that global warming has generated, the cumulative humanity-nature cycle is the most dangerous, especially if we end up fighting against each other over resources instead of working together to reduce emissions and coordinating action for adaption.

We are not talking about a “future” threat. The Mediterranean basin is already facing the consequences of climate change on peace and security. The violence in Syria and its repercussions have also been caused by the drought that preceded this violence. Migratory flows from Africa onto the coast of Europe are linked to the erosion of the banks of Lake Chad, going from 25,000 to 4,000 square/kilometers, as well as the influence of Boko Haram.

Italy is well aware of this, owing to its experience as a Country acting as a bridge between the two coasts of the Mediterranean. Italy has thus understood this: thinking that we can close ourselves off into tranquil isolation or, worse, prepare to defend ourselves from a problem deriving from the malaise of other peoples is only but a dangerous illusion. Instability will spread and the entire world will pay the consequences.

The entire world is our common home. His Holiness Pope Francis reminded us of this recently in his encyclical “Laudato Si’”. We cannot lose our sense of responsibility for our brothers and sisters, which is the basis of any society that wants to call itself civil. The sustainable management of the planet’s resources and combatting climate change are among the greatest challenges of today’s multilateral diplomacy. The year 2015 must be the year for our common responsibility and our common action.