Strategic Foresight in Climate Security (Hamburg, 2026)

YOUNG LEADERS SUMMER ACADEMY - Climate Change and Security

5-8 July 2026, Hamburg, Germany

In many ways, this workshop marked the conclusion of an intense and rewarding journey. It was the sixth and final workshop that I have organised or facilitated over the past two months, following events in Tanzania, Kenya, Bonn, and beyond. It therefore felt especially meaningful that this final session was co-organized and hosted by my home institute, German Institute for Global and Area Studies (GIGA), together with the Institute for International Cooperation, Technological Diplomacy and Communication GmbH (ICI), and Helmut-Schmidt-Universität/Universität der Bundeswehr Hamburg, bringing this chapter full circle.

The Young Leaders Summer Academy brought together emerging leaders and practitioners from across the Middle East and Europe to explore one of the defining challenges of our time: how climate change is reshaping questions of peace, security, and cooperation.

Rather than beginning with policy frameworks, we started with a story: The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas. I was impressed how the participants refused to accept the injustice and seek to find solution.

Through LEGO® Serious Play, participants reflected on hidden injustices, mapped climate-security systems, imagined preferred futures, and worked backwards to identify the pathways needed to achieve them. The workshop explored how climate security is not only about managing risks, but also about asking deeper questions of justice, resilience, and the kind of societies we want to build.

What impressed me most was the quality and the passion behind the discussions. Participants from different countries, institutions, and professional backgrounds approached complex and often sensitive issues with openness, critical thinking, curiosity, and a genuine willingness to learn from one another. It was a reminder that dialogue remains one of the most powerful tools for building trust across differences.