The policy debate on climate security in the past 20 years has evolved from recognising climate change as threat multiplier or security risk and understanding the pathways through which this relationship occurs to assessing such security risks in specific regions and countries, also in terms of early warning. However, markedly less attention has been paid to considering how we can reduce adverse security impacts in climate security practice. This practice is only slowly emerging and its progress is hampered by the still intensely debated issue of how and where climate change and security are related.

The first report of the Planetary Security Initiative's climate security practices project draws lessons from and reflects on 8 climate security practices that enhance peace and stability. Many peace-building interventions try to address a wide range of conflict drivers, which include the various manifestations of climate stress such as pressure on natural resources, livelihoods and human security.

These can arise from desertification, lack of access to water and unequal natural resource distribution. Examples of these interventions include tree-planting projects, the inclusion of natural resource distribution measures in peace treaties and provision of renewables in refugee camps and military missions. The projects will cover a wide range of practices ranging from human security to hard security-focused practices implemented by actors in the development, diplomacy and defence sectors.

6.6 3S Initiative: Sustainability, Stability and Security (Case 6)
Given the context of population growth predictions, fragile livelihoods and food security, as well as the potential for substantial irregular migration, Africa is a continent that is particularly vulnerable to climate change impacts. The Initiative on Sustainability, Stability and Security (3S)40 was launched in 2016 at the first Africa Action Summit in Marrakesh during the 22nd Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP22).

The initiative is an intergovernmental initiative, working towards the three pillars of stability, security and sustainability. The heads of government recognise that Africa is the continent most affected by climate change impacts, which can also jeopardise peace, stability and sustainable development.
The 3S Initiative aims at mitigating adverse drivers and structural factors that hinder people from maintaining sustainable livelihoods, thereby compelling them to leave their places of origin. The initiative aims to strengthen intra-African mobility by building a restorative circular African economy that maintains and regenerates its environmental resources

The climate security practices project from the Planetary Security Initiative seeks to open up a new and vital area of analysis in the climate security community: When it comes to action, what works, and what doesn’t?

The recommendations of the report follow three main lines:
Firstly, because efforts to undertake action in this field are still developing, all actors working within it should more systemically report on relevant aspects of their projects to enhance our understanding of the field. Likewise, attempts should be made across organisations to learn from others working in the field

Secondly, when working in regions affected by climate change, military actors must shift their focus onto the climate-security nexus as one that often underpins other causes of insecurity like governance failure, inequality and marginalisation. In order to work within this paradigm, military actors could work more extensively with civilian actors on environmental peacebuilding and climate adaptation and mitigation projects.

Lastly, because the results of work in the climate-security nexus are not easily measured quantitatively or in a results-based manner, it is imperative for policymakers to focus on the bigger picture. This often means undertaking projects which have a higher risk of failure as a part of the learning process. However, this should go hand in hand with development in monitoring and evaluation methodologies to ensure that in the long-term climate-security interventions can be accurately monitored.

Climate-security practices hold a lot of potential and will grow in importance. Now it is necessary for the community of practice in the field to increase our understanding and mutual learning about the impact of these practices.