On Wednesday, March 3, the Strauss Center co-sponsored a discussion forum on Climate Change and African Political Stability (CCAPS) with the Africa Center for Strategic Studies at National Defense University and Meridian International Center. The forum gave the Strauss Center’s CCAPS research team an opportunity to present its research design and discuss what policymakers want to know about climate change in Africa. It also enabled the team to establish a community of interest around this issue with government officials, think tank representatives and other members of the Africa policy community.

Ambassador Vicki Huddleston, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Africa, gave opening remarks. She noted that climate change is a transnational threat to Africa and suggested that it will challenge the ability of governments, many of them in formative stages, to govern effectively. She asked the researchers to lay out the road ahead in terms of where threats are most severe and what the Defense Department, the military, the private sector and governments can do to address them.

“The diverse group of participants who attended the forum played a valuable role in building new partnerships around this critical topic,” said Ambassador Gregory W. Engle (Ret.), Associate Director of the Strauss Center. “The members of our CCAPS team were particularly appreciative of participants’ willingness to help inform our research agenda moving forward.”

Click here for the forum Report, Agenda, Speaker Bios, Participant List and photos of the event.