Strengthening environmental security: objectives 2017 to 2018
Published 16 February 2018
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1. Overview
Climate change and the illegal wildlife trade (IWT) are serious long-term risks to the global economy and international security. Tackling these challenges as well as building climate resilience is therefore a key focus of the FCO’s work to support the environment. This work supports the objectives of the UK’s Aid Strategy to strengthen resilience, respond to crises and promote global prosperity and also the UK’s National Security Strategy. It also supports sustainable growth, strengthens the rules-based international system and builds stability overseas, as well as combatting international crime.
2. FCO objectives on environmental security
The UK is a global leader on tackling climate change and the illegal wildlife trade. Our work under this programme helps to:
- implement and exceed climate change commitments made under the Paris Agreement to reduce the global risks of climate change and accelerate growth of the low carbon economy
- support climate resilient development to strengthen the stability of the international system
- encourage innovation to increase opportunities in green growth, urban development, and commercialisation of science, and unlock political barriers to encourage sustainable development
- achieve ambitious international agreements on the illegal wildlife trade
- build awareness of the illegal wildlife trade amongst decision makers and the public
- reduce demand for illegal wildlife trade products, strengthen enforcement, support effective legal frameworks, and develop sustainable livelihoods for communities affected by IWT
- uphold and strengthen the rule-based international system
3. Official Development Assistance and environmental security
The economic and security risks of global warming are significant and we are already seeing the impacts of extreme climate events, such as droughts, floods and heat waves. Climate change threatens to undermine global prosperity and the ability to support a healthy and food-secure population.
The illegal wildlife trade is also an urgent global issue. It is the fourth biggest illegal transnational trade in the world, worth up to £17 billion per year. It also damages economic growth and sustainable development and is fuelled by corruption that undermines good governance and the rule of law.
4. Environmental security project objectives
This programme supports the above goals. In particular it concentrates on the following key workstreams to:
- increase innovation, improve capacity, and support development of partners’ policies and strategies on green growth and urban development
- improve compliance, support policy development, and build capacity, towards achieving resilient, low carbon economies that meet global climate change targets, in line with the commitments made under the Paris Agreement
- increase awareness of the illegal wildlife trade amongst decision makers and the public including its impact on security, transparency, and governance, and support efforts to improve governance structures helping to tackle corruption and improve accountability
- improve protection for endangered species and/or improve countries’ legislative frameworks to help reduce or eradicate the trade