Average global temperatures have increased 1.2 degrees Celsius since 1880, resulting in a climate crisis that has caused widespread impact to global ecosystems, human health and well-being, and national and international security. U.S. President Joe Biden has repeatedly emphasized combating climate change as a top priority for the administration, describing climate change as both an “existential threat” facing the international community and an “opportunity” to create new jobs in innovative sectors. The climate crisis is also an increasingly prominent issue on the world stage. More than 40 world leaders participated in the Virtual Leaders Summit on Climate in April of this year, with participant countries advancing pledges to cut greenhouse gas emissions, achieve carbon neutrality, and reduce deforestation to prevent further planetary warming.
On October 6, 2021, the Cooperative Monitoring Center (CMC) at Sandia National Laboratories will present a virtual Global Climate Security Symposium, providing an opportunity for a wide and diverse global audience to learn from and engage with regional experts and top U.S. policymakers on climate security. The online event will promote regional dialogue on regional challenges and opportunities presented by climate change. Further, the Global Climate Security Symposium will seek to identify potential scientific and technological collaboration opportunities with the United States, as well as specific areas of contribution for Sandia National Laboratories and the CMC.
The symposium will begin with two regional panels featuring technical and policy experts from East Asia and South Asia. Moderated by the CMC’s regional leads, the panelists will discuss key regional climate security dynamics and challenges, current efforts to address them, and potential scientific and technological collaboration opportunities with the United States. Following the panels, Special Assistant to the President Biden and National Security Council (NSC) Senior Director for Climate and Energy Melanie Nakagawa will provide a keynote address.