Climate change and environmental degradation does not directly cause conflict or violence in Somalia, but it can interact with other political, social and environmental factors to worsen existing tensions and grievances, increase competition over scarce resources, and create opportunities for armed groups to exploit the situation.

The importance of integrating environment in the CSDP missions’ work has been increasingly recognized and EUCAP Somalia is one of the first missions to have an Environmental Advisor, with responsibility for internal as well as external environmental work. The internal work revolves around mapping of and reducing the environmental footprint of the mission, and awareness raising and training. The external work is within, or closely linked to, the mission mandate – to support the development of Somali maritime security and policing capacity.

The waters outside the country’s long coast are rich in fish and could be a substantial source of income and food for the population and be part of the solution for securing a sustainable future for the country. EUCAP is involved in the development of the fishery sector in Somalia.

“We have supported the Somali institutions on a policy level, and in improving the organisation and management around tracking and monitoring of vessels and catch”, tells Marius Chirila, Senior Maritime Advisor.

This is the basis for any well-functioning fishery sector, to keep track of the fish stocks, work against illegal fishery and secure long term economic- and ecological sustainability.

Climate change impacts also on security

Within the maritime sector, the mission also supports the port in Mogadishu to develop infrastructure and routines. Development of structures to receive and manage waste and noxious liquids is priority in this work, and if successful this can serve as a good example and inspiration for other ports in the country. ​The climate-security nexus is another important area for EUCAP to engage in.

“The first step in this work is to identify entry points, both geographically and thematically, and to engage with the counterpart in this. Still, there is a misconception that environmental problems are something the state can work with when more urgent problems are solved” states Maria Cosnier, Environmental Advisor at EUCAP.

One of her main tasks is to get the counterpart and other actors to understand that addressing climate change and ecosystem degradation is important when designing security strategies and -policies. Climate change is not only a threat but also an opportunity for peacebuilding in Somalia. By taking proactive and collaborative actions to address its impacts, peacebuilding actors can contribute to building a more peaceful, secure, and sustainable future for Somalia and its people.  Recently EUCAP has also started to work closer with the newly established Ministry of Environment and Climate Change. This cooperation will revolve around climate security and drafting of environmental laws mainly.

“Endurance and patience are important skills when working in these kinds of environments. We need to knock on many doors to find one where we can enter and start to work. It is understandable that the Somali society sees the immediate threat from famine and terrorist groups as more important to focus on than environment. Increasing the understanding that these things are linked to climate change and that this deserves new ways to approach security, is an important message from us, but also a hard message to get through”, says EUCAP’s Environmental Advisor Maria Cosnier.