Climate security risks and resilience: Challenges and approaches for resilience building in fragile contexts

Abstract: The intersection of climate change and fragility is a critical focal point if the aspirations of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) are to be met. Climate-related security risks arise when the impacts from climate change overlap with societal vulnerabilities to expose and compound risks to human security. When national governments are unable or unwilling to adequately address these compound risks, communities are left to fend for themselves. A resilience-based approach has been proven to strengthen social-ecological systems in the face of shocks and stresses, but how does an established resilience agenda apply in fragile social-ecological systems? What is important for building resilience in fragile contexts that face the most severe realities of climate change against a backdrop of instability? This thesis addresses these questions with semi-structured qualitative interviews from experts working across scales in peacebuilding and development who work in some of the most challenging contexts on the planet.  Results show that flexibility in livelihoods, social organization, a holistic or systems thinking approach and supporting traditional and cultural forms of resilience are beneficial in fragile contexts. While some of these resilience indicators are well-established, others are in need of further exploration. This study provides a glimpse into how the fields of resilience thinking and peace and conflict studies are joining up in order to address the new global risk landscape of the Anthropocene.