A special meeting of the United Nations security council is expected to consider whether to expand its mission to keep the peace in the age of climate change.
Small island nations want the security council to intervene to combat the threat to their existence from the rising seas.What's wrong? They don't trust Obama to stop the seas from rising? | There has also been discussion of a new environmental peacekeeping force -- the green helmets -- which could exacerbate handle conflicts caused by shrinking resources.
The UN secretary general, Ban Ki-Moon, is expected to speak at the meeting on Wednesday. But Germany, which called the meeting, warned that it is premature to expect the council to begin green peacemaking or even adopt climate change as a key area of concern.
Germany's ambassador to the UN, Peter Wittig, wrote, "It is too early to seriously think about council action on climate change. This is clearly not on the agenda. A good first step would be to acknowledge the realities of climate change and its inherent implications to international peace and security."
Wednesday's meeting comes at a time of increasing doubt about whether the UN is equipped to deal with anything climate change. Climate talks in Bonn last month produced little. Meanwhile, Ban has been shifted his attention from climate change to sustainable development. |