Climate Change, Pandemics and International Security 2100-ERASMUS-ICCC

The course aims to raise awareness of emerging threats to global security, with special emphasis on climate change and pandemics as major security threat multipliers. We’ll look at the biophysical impacts of climate change and their socio-economic and political consequences, such as rising food and water insecurity, health risks, forced migrations, social unrest, violent conflicts, political instability, etc. Further, we’ll familiarize ourselves with the foundations of infectious disease epidemiology to better understand global security threats associated with pandemics. We’ll analyze major factors affecting the emergence and re-emergence of infectious diseases with pandemic potential and try to identify the nexus between climate change and epidemics. Then we’ll move to assessing selected national and international strategic documents addressing climate change and pandemics through the lens of security challenges. Against this background, we’ll examine the military and security implications of climate change, such as force structure, basing and training, operations and strategy, key capabilities, domestic and regional relief missions, etc. Subsequently, we’ll discuss key lines of national and international responses to climate change- and pandemics-related challenges. In this context, we’ll focus on efforts made by states and international bodies to mitigate those threats. We’ll also look at the role of business in managing climate change risks and at the power of climate activism (NGOs, grassroots movements). Finally, we’ll discuss the perceptions of climate change and pandemics as security threats, considering various factors affecting those perceptions (including public campaigns and fake news).