In the next edition of the peace&justice café, The Hague community will explore the various ways that climate change is affecting lives across the globe, and at the intersections of rapidly developing challenges – and what needs to be done to keep the crisis from escalating beyond these ‘tipping points’.

Please note that you will be able to sign up for a roundabout upon arrival (either in-person or virtually)!

Roundabout information (in-person)

The Hague Academy for Local Governance
Nature-based solutions in cities: equal access for all?
Hosted by Oscar Alvarado

Cities are starting to recognise the many benefits that nature can provide to its infrastructure and people. In particular, nature-based solutions are slowly being adopted to address specific urban challenges. However, the distribution of nature in cities is rarely equal. How can we ensure that nature is more equally distributed across cities, with an emphasis on poorer areas that might be more vulnerable to extreme events? What mechanisms or policies are necessary so that the benefits of nature-based solutions are shared with all communities?

University of Leiden
Peace as an Environmental Security Issue?
Hosted by Tim Wuisman

The problem in the case of Columbia is that the FARC militants occupied the amazon forests for strategic purposes, but unintentionally also protected the amazon rainforest at the same time. With the peace deal in 2016, Colombia has seen a surge of forest razing and land clearance amid continuing unrest in the countryside. In similar cases, how should we approach the protection of the climate in a way that is conducive to peace (state stability) and economic development? 

Asser Institute
Using Due Diligence to Pursue Corporate Climate Accountability 
Hosted by Dr Virginie Rouas

Companies unquestionably contribute to climate change, and recent years have seen the emergence of initiatives, particularly in the courts, to incentivise companies to mitigate their climate change impacts. Parallel to this trend, due diligence has gained traction since its conceptualization in the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. This session will discuss ways to close the corporate climate accountability gap using due diligence. It will be guided by two main questions. First, how can due diligence be used to incentivize companies to reduce their carbon footprint and hold them liable? Second, how can climate activists advocate for greater inclusion of climate change concerns in due diligence legislation under discussion (for example, in the Netherlands or the EU)? 

Space 4 Good
Using predictive models to anticipate climate protection needs in vulnerable populations
Hosted by Maxim Malinowsky

Climate change will affect the strength and frequency of storms, flood, droughts, and disease in the future. Preventative action is preferable to disaster response for areas most vulnerable to these shocks, and frameworks for triggering financing are still under development. This roundabout will discuss how earth observation data is utilized for anticipatory climate protection, and how to improve communication between modelers and decision makers. 

IDLO
Exploring what works in SDG16 Approaches to Transformative Climate Action 
Hosted by Daniel Eggleston

According to the IPCC effective governance leads to more effective and sustainable climate outcomes. This discussion aims to explore what works in promoting feminist, fair and inclusive climate governance, grounded in experiences shared by participants in this roundabout. 

International Alert
Connecting the dots: Climate change and peacebuilding 
Hosted by Jessica Hartog

Climate change is affecting countries and people across the world, including in fragile and conflict affected contexts. In those contexts capacities to adapt tend to be low which can contribute to further tensions and conflict between population groups and/or vis-à-vis government authorities and businesses. In this roundabout session we will together look at and reflect on these dynamics in different contexts to understand the main climate-related conflict drivers, and we will explore priorities for climate and peacebuilding organisations to address these and support those people in the most climate vulnerable and conflict affected locations. 

Jonge Klimaatbeweging
Youth Perspectives in Times of the Climate Crisis 
Hosted by Tessa Dool

The well-being of people elsewhere and young and future generations is under stress due to the climate and biodiversity crises. That is why young people all around the world are demanding to be heard. Politicians and policymakers worldwide are listening to the youth, but what do they do with the given information? Are they creating more ambitious policies and transforming entire systems? Or are they maintaining the status quo? 

During this session, we will discuss these and more questions on the presence or absence of youth perspectives in the climate debate. The goal is to be honest about the challenges we face, yet hopeful about the possibilities of youth participation in the future.

Netherlands Helsinki Committee
Catalysts of Change: Protecting and Supporting Environmental Human Rights Defenders 
Hosted by Aicha Chaghouani and Evelynne Stins

How is climate change related to human rights? 

Our session will investigate the relationship between human and environmental rights. We will view this relationship within the context of civic space and human rights defenders, exploring how we can support environmental human rights defenders. 

Roundabout information (online)

Environmental Investigation Agency
“Costing the Earth” – Tackling Environmental Crime
Hosted by Julian Newman

Environmental crime (such as wildlife trafficking, illegal logging, and smuggling of climate-changing chemicals) is one of the fastest growing forms of transnational organised crime).Yet despite the impact of these crimes on our planet the criminal justice response remains insufficient.  

Challenge: What responses are needed to effectively tackle environmental crime?

Asser Institute
Towards a Climate, Peace and Security Agenda
Hosted by Dr Stavros Pantazopoulos 

In the contemporary times of the Anthropocene and the ongoing climate emergency, the multifaceted linkages between climate change and conflict have started to attract the international community’s attention. In a nutshell, conflicts tend to exacerbate existing vulnerabilities relating to climate change mitigation and adaptation, while, at the same time, climate change has been described as a ‘threat multiplier’ or driver of conflicts. Against this background, the present session aspires to explore the value of international law and policy in addressing these challenges. It will further discuss the institutional dimension of these linkages with the ultimate objective of coherently articulating the need of an overarching Climate, Peace, and Security Agenda and the indispensable elements thereof. 

The Sunrise Project / Finance Action Organisers’ Network
What’s the connection between big finance, fossil fuels, and civil society?
Hosted by Umme Hoque

The climate crisis is accelerating. And, the move to a renewable future rooted in a just transition is simply not happening fast enough. People all over the world are discovering new ways to campaign together to stop the chaos: following the money and stopping the financing of fossil fuels. Global campaigns are demanding banks, insurance companies, private equity institutions, and other big financial players stop financing fossil fuels. What’s the connection between big finance and fossil fuels? And what role do we all have to address the climate crisis?