Foreign and Commonwealth Minister of State for Asia and the Pacific, Mark Field, highlighted the importance of factoring the risks of climate change into all Governmental decision-making at the Berlin Climate and Security Conference.
Speaking before the conference, Minister Mark Field said:
I very much want to echo our German hosts' view that climate security must be at the heart of foreign policy work at a global level. I am grateful for Germany's action in shining a spotlight on this issue.
Extreme weather events are becoming increasingly devastating for the world's most vulnerable communities. Changing weather patterns cause instability, fuel conflict and leave humanitarian crises in their wake.
I am proud that the UK was the first to push for climate security to be put on the UN Security Council agenda more than a decade ago and that we continue to be a leader on it.
The UK will lead on building resilience to the impacts of climate change at the United Nations Secretary-General's Climate Summit later this year. It has already committed more than £5.5 billion in International Climate Finance between 2016 and 2021.
UK work will focus on three key areas: reducing the cost of disasters; securing resilient eco-systems and sustainable value chains; and integrating climate resilience into all investment decisions.
Minister Field met with a number of foreign ministers at the conference to discuss climate change, sustainability, and bilateral relations. He also spoke about the opportunities and risks posed by a rising Asia at an event hosted by the Koerber Foundation.
