Description
The changing global order and rising geopolitical competition intersect with the need to address climate change. This leads to a mix of competition and limited cooperation. Climate change creates destabilising conditions but also offers opportunities for dialogue and cooperation. Climate-induced impacts—like resource scarcity, extreme weather, and supply chain disruptions—can increase mistrust and geopolitical rivalry. These tensions can expand into areas such as clean-energy technologies, critical minerals, and green industrial policy. Securitisation processes can further amplify these tensions. Yet, climate change can drive cooperation, especially where countries share vulnerabilities, threats, and narratives. Conflict or cooperation depends largely on how we discuss the link between climate change and security.
This roundtable brings together senior and junior scholars to discuss Chinese and European perspectives and discourses on ecological security and the securitisation of climate change. It debates their relevance for promoting cooperation or increasing geopolitical competition.