Climate Change and Security in the South Caucasus Republic of Armenia, Republic of Azerbaijan and Georgia: Regional Assessment

Climate change in the South Caucasus countries is clearly evident. Recent research confirms that average annual air temperatures are steadily increasing and extreme weather events, such as storms and heatwaves, have been intensifying over the last few decades. The South Caucasus countries are prone to a range of hazards such as landslides and floods, all of which are exacter bated by climate change, and which result in serious damage to infrastructure, casualties and economic losses.At the political level, the South Caucasus countries are well grounded in global climate change politics. All three are NonAnnex I Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and, as such, support international efforts to hold the increase in the global average temperature below 20C – a global target set at the Conference of Parties in Paris in December 2015. All three countries have submitted their Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs) to the UNFCCC, setting concrete emission reduction targets and committing to adaptation plans