Climate Security

Evidence of Climate Change Already Underway — Data source from: IPCC. 2021. Climate Change 2021: The Physical Science Basis. Contribution of Working Group I to the Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. https://climateactiontracker.org/documents/989/state_climate_action_2021.pdf

Climate change is a threat multiplier whose impacts are already seen in the increasing intensity and frequency of climate-related disasters. The IPCC 2021 report stated that global warming has risen at an unprecedented rate in the last 2000 years due to greenhouse gases and emissions from human activities. Other observable changes include sea-level rise, weather extremes, ocean warming and acidification, all having far reaching impacts on the environment and societies.

The Centre focuses on two research components: Planetary Health and Climate Change Adaptation.

Planetary Health
Planetary Health examines economic and development progress as the cause of environmental degradation that poses threats to human health. Growing material wealth, inequalities, and the current resource-intensive economic activities serve as main drivers of these threats, as is the structure of the international trading system which all lead to environmental pressures and resource depletion beyond national borders. Since the health of the planet is the prerequisite for human health and human civilisation, the planetary health concept advocates for systems-level and cross-sectoral interventions that are aimed towards nature protection and conservation. The Centre began the development of a multi-disciplinary research project on Planetary Health in 2021 collaborating with individual researchers and schools across NTU.

Climate Change Adaptation
Considering serious concerns brought about by the changing climate, policies in addressing climate change no longer look only at mitigation but increasingly have a strong focus on adaptation. While there has been a lot of debate on mitigation and disaster risk reduction at the global level, particularly for regions that are vulnerable to climate change, adaptation has become a more important consideration. The Centre examines climate adaptation efforts by:
- - Auditing climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction policies at national level across the region;
  - Comparing the frameworks for climate change cooperation across regions;
  - Examining regional cooperation mechanisms for climate change adaptation and mitigation efforts;
  - Analysing regional climate change cooperation on selected sectors including transportation, energy and cities; and
  - Examining north-south and south-south cooperation for climate mitigation and adaptation measures in the region.

In addition, the Centre also looks into other relevant aspects including the development of smart cities, urban resilience, and relevant environmental risks brought about by the 4th Industrial Revolution.