The convergence of climate and geo-strategic challenges

The fight against climate change and the search for global security are two major converging challenges. It would be very difficult to achieve one while neglecting the other. In the context of ongoing preparations to establish a new NATO Center of Excellence on Climate and Security in Montreal, Stéphane Dion, Canada’s Special Envoy to the European Union and Europe, will address the importance of the Climate-Security nexus.

Stéphane Dion has been Prime Minister Trudeau’s Special Envoy to the European Union and Europe since 2017. He currently serves as Canada's Ambassador to France, having been Canada's Ambassador to Germany (2017-2022). He holds a Doctorat d’État in sociology, Sciences Po (1984), and is the author of several publications, notably on climate change. He served more than 20 years as a Member of Parliament, and held various cabinet posts including Canada's Minister of Foreign Affairs (2015-2017) and Minister of the Environment (2004-2005). In 2005, he chaired the United Nations Conference on Climate Change (COP11), where he reconciled the diverging interests of member countries to effectively implement the Kyoto Protocol.

The discussion will be chaired by Adrien Estève, Lecturer at PSIA. His current research focuses on the involvement of security and defense actors in climate policies, on the emergence of international forums and networks on climate security, and on the new approaches to security in the Anthropocene.