Climate and Terrorism: Two Threats, a Common Front
Because of who we are and what we stand for, we have been the target of some obscurantist organization that somehow believes it can make us live in fear and change the way we live.The tragic Paris attacks have triggered two reactions.
The first one was the defensive one where we tracked down the men and women responsible for these inhuman crimes. We had to declare a nationwide state of emergency but our response was firm and efficient as we caught these terrorists.
The second one was the international support we received from our allies all around the world. Officials and citizens sent us so many messages of support as they all felt personally affected by this tragedy.
On Sunday 15th, i was in Houston for an emotional vigil, organized by French community and city of Houston.
Here, in the US, the Paris attacks this November 13 feel like a September 11 revival... with all the pain it brings back.
And as you know, Paris is not just a city; it is a symbol. There is no other place in the world that embodies such a peaceful and agreeable art de vivre.
Based on these reactions, we, members of the government and the Parliament, decided we had to take action to make sure this kind of scenario would not happen again.
We had to change the way we protected ourselves and we had to change the way we fought terrorism.
And this is why we currently are at war against ISIS and need allies from all around the world to not only damage our enemies and slow down their progression and geographical expansion, but to break them down and destroy the roots of their organization.
We can no longer afford to be passive spectators of these constant attacks we have to endure. Everyone, no matter how far his country is located from Syria, is concerned. We need to wake up from this slumber, create a coalition and act.
French diplomacy is on the front line of this issue. President Hollande made a hectic effort to forge a new anti-terrorist coalition against ISIS, in an unprecedented diplomatic marathon shuttling between the leaders of Britain, US, Germany, Italy and Russia. With hopeful first steps. The military mobilization of Germany is one of them.
This fight is a heavy one and already has so much impact on our societies.
Terrorist attacks are not the only consequences of this threat, and we have seen it with the large numbers of refugees that seek protection in other countries. A significant part of the Syrian population and other countries sharing borders with that country are fleeing this devastating and constant threat that is terrorism.
At some point, every war has its victims and its movements of population.
And regarding the war on climate, this point will soon be reached.
Some of us live in countries that could afford for a few extra years to ignore the repercussions of this ongoing climatic deregulation.
Some of us live in countries where the economy is mostly based on services and could choose not to care about the outcomes of this deregulation on agriculture, endangered species or water supplies.
After all, we have the technology that would allow us to live beneath the sea level and we could simply change our food supplier by picking up a new country where the agriculture is not yet endangered by climate change.
But this luxury of choice is not universal and only concerns a few of us.
And whether we decide to face this truth, every single country will be affected by climate change.
Among the many things we take for granted, ecology and climate may be the biggest ones. We all share these wonderful resources together, yet when it comes to taking responsibilities, we become afraid of stepping in. This relationship can only be described as unhealthy but more importantly unsustainable.
We need to reconsider this connection we have with our natural resources and protect them so we can have a better use of it.
There is an interesting parallel to be made here with the recent evolution of the idea of the sharing economy. While we used to have, for many years, a more individualistic vision on consumption, the idea of a more collaborative consumption and economy is not that frightening anymore. We simply came to realize that by sharing our belongings, we as consumers could save more time and money, and more importantly consume better. We changed our perspectives as strangers became business partners and our possessions became assets.
COP21 offers us a chance to do the same here and apply this new vision on the climate. As we share this common climate, we all are partners of this same worldwide sharing ecosystem.
States need to be at the level of citizens.
You see, climate deregulation is not something that can be contained inside the borders of a country. When a country pollutes its environment, it is responsible for the effects this will have on its land, but also its neighbors' lands.
And if some of us can afford the luxury to adapt their society and economy to a changing climate, this is not the case for everyone.
These threats concern us all and if some societies start seeing their existence challenged because of the rise of the sea level, or because what used to be an agricultural land now is too dry to be cultivated, then we would all be responsible.
Climate deregulation no longer concerns just a few countries that would decide to get involved in this fight; it is not even a national issue, as it concerns every single citizen of the world. And as this is nowadays a universal issue, we, members of governments and parliaments, have to make sure that we do not disappoint our citizens and take the necessary measures.
Preserving a well balanced environment needs to be our priority. As we know how an unstable environment can lead to disastrous consequences. Climate change is not only disruptive on the ecological and economical levels of a society, it will also impact its prospects of development, peace, but also, its security.
Poverty isn't well shared in the Near- and Middle East!
Sources of energy from the countries that produce fossil fuels are making the difference.
Even in building a terrorism state...
Or in people movements...
I would like to insist on the importance of this last factor -- security -- as we now know how unstable environment can profit to terrorist organizations.
This fight against climate change is a war, and a global one.
So as we are talking about creating a global coalition to win the war on terror, we need to do exactly the same to win this war on climate change.
We know how devastating the outcomes will be if we do nothing, so it is our duty today, as the COP21 proceeds, to acknowledge how urgent this cause is.
We are fighting to protect life when we face worldwide security challenges -- terrorism as well as climate catastrophe.
This duty also takes into account the need to see a bigger picture, about consequences, but also about our calendars.
I realize we are at the end of 2015 and so 2016 and 2017, years of presidential elections in America and France, are around the corner. It would be easy to just ignore this ecological threat and delay the regulations we aim to draft during this summit. But we simply cannot afford it.
It would be so tempting in our economy that is still fragile to ignore this partnership and try to compete against each other. But such an attitude would only divide us in the coalition we need to assemble today. We need to imagine new opportunities of growth, building on sustainable development...
In the world of today and in the views of the recent attacks on Paris, we may be facing two different threats, but what we need is a common front.
We have been talking a lot about cooperation this past week, and now is the perfect time to put these words into action.
In these times of trouble, let's remember the wise decisions of the fathers of the European Union, who after a second world war knew that by sharing two of the most important resources of their time, steel and coal, and by creating the European Coal and Steel Community, their countries would strengthen their relationships, get closer and hence, preserve the peace of their people.
As all of our delegations are meeting around the same table in Paris, it is time for us to stop being so passive, and start re-initiating the global cooperation to make sure we do not fail our citizens and keep our world safe.
For our earth, for our children's future and for the global peace.
Frederic Lefebvre
Former minister
Member of the French parliament
Member of the defense committee
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