Climate Risk Reduction at the National and Sub-National Scale

Originally aired October 26, 2015

The second webinar in SSF’s Global Climate Security series — co-hosted with ASU’s Global Security Initiative — focuses on localities and “hot spots” where climate vulnerability, state fragility, and strategic significance converge. Panelists from ASU, the National Security Council, Stanford, the Center for Climate and Security, and the Army Corps of Engineers examine climate risk at national and sub-national scales — spanning the United States, the Middle East and North Africa, Central and South Asia, and the Arctic.

Speakers

Chris Boone (Moderator)

Dean, School of Sustainability, Arizona State University

Chris Boone is Dean of the School of Sustainability at Arizona State University, one of the leading schools of its kind in the world. His research focuses on urban ecology, environmental justice, and the social dimensions of sustainability — examining how cities can become more equitable, resilient, and environmentally sustainable, and how academic institutions can translate sustainability science into real-world policy and practice.

David V. Adams

Director for Health Security and Climate Resilience Policy, National Security Council

David V. Adams serves as Director for Health Security and Climate Resilience Policy at the National Security Council, where he addresses threats to U.S. critical infrastructure and resources from climate-related events — including coastal vulnerabilities, wildfires, and drought and water stress in the West. He represents the NSC’s approach to these converging risks and helps develop concrete options for a path forward on climate resilience as a national security imperative.

Francesco Femia

Co-Director, Center for Climate and Security

Francesco Femia is Co-Director of the Center for Climate and Security, where he has been one of the first researchers to surface the Syria-climate-drought-instability nexus — work that gained widespread attention in the mainstream media. He examines the effects of climate change on water and food insecurity in the Middle East and North Africa, and develops policy solutions for regional governments and the international community to address these compounding risks.

Caitlin Werrell

Co-Director, Center for Climate and Security

Caitlin Werrell is Co-Director of the Center for Climate and Security and co-author of the pioneering research linking Syrian drought and political instability. She analyzes the security implications of climate-driven resource stress — particularly in the Middle East and North Africa — and advocates for policy frameworks that treat climate change as a threat multiplier requiring integration into foreign policy, defense planning, and international development.

Swathi Veeravalli

Principal Investigator, Geospatial Research Laboratory, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

Swathi Veeravalli is an interdisciplinary research scientist at the Geospatial Research Laboratory of the Engineer Research and Development Center, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Since 2010, she has been Principal Investigator on multiple research efforts focused on developing the capability to better understand how climate variability impacts humans and the environment — with a focus on Central and South Asia and the integration of geospatial analysis into security assessments.

CDR David Slayton, USN (Ret.)

Hoover Institution, Stanford University

CDR David Slayton (USN, Ret.) is affiliated with the Hoover Institution at Stanford University, where he researches the changing geopolitical landscape of the Arctic and its implications for international security. He examines how rapidly melting sea ice is opening new shipping routes, exposing energy resources, and reshaping the strategic interests of Arctic nations — and what this means for preventing future tension and conflict in the High North.