EU governments warned of security risks by climate change: report
LONDON (AFP) — Climate change will spark an era of conflict over scarce resources, European heads of government have been warned in a report, according to The Guardian on Monday.
The report, written by EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana and European commissioner for external relations Benita Ferrero-Waldner, said that "significant potential conflicts" are likely in years to come because of "intensified competition over access to, and control over, energy resources."
According to the newspaper, which obtained a copy of the seven-page report, it warned of increased tensions between rich and poor countries, as the consequences of climate change are likely to be most pronounced in developing countries.
The report also describes accelerated melting of polar ice caps, especially the Arctic, as having "potential consequences for international stability and European security interests."
"The rapid melting of the polar ice caps, in particular the Arctic, is opening up new waterways and international trade routes... The increased accessibility of the enormous hydrocarbon resources in the Arctic region is changing the geostrategic dynamics of the region."
It also predicted increased instability in countries in central and Asia and the Middle East with large resource deposits as a result of climage change.
The report calls for the EU to develop a policy on the Arctic "based on the evolving geostrategy of the ... region, taking into account access to resources and the opening of new trade routes."
