UN Advisor: How Al-Shabaab Is Weaponising Climate Change | Christophe Hodder

Check out the UK's most trusted climate action platform, Ecologi at: https://tinyurl.com/kfswnxth

Christophe Hodder is the world's first UN-appointed Climate Peace and Security Advisor, working in Somalia, the 5th most climate-vulnerable country on Earth. He's spent six years on the frontlines of where climate breakdown meets armed conflict, helping communities navigate droughts, floods, displacement, and violence in a country that contributes just 0.08% of global emissions but bears some of the heaviest consequences.

This conversation goes deep into what climate insecurity actually looks like on the ground: two goat herders fighting over shrinking grazing land, clans feuding over water access, young men with guns caught in cycles of violence made worse by collapsing ecosystems. Christophe explains why climate change doesn't directly cause conflict, but it intensifies every existing tension, and why restoring land, building trust between communities, and creating economic opportunities are all part of the same solution.

We also talk about what climate finance pays for when it's done right, how Al-Shabab uses resource control as a weapon, and how the instability happening in Somalia can eventually show up on Britain's doorstep through migration, terrorism, and disrupted global trade.

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This podcast is sponsored by Ecologi, the UK's most trusted climate action platform. They help businesses reduce their emissions, restore our planet and report their progress for every step of their climate journey. Check them out here: https://tinyurl.com/kfswnxth

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Find out more about the UN Climate Security Mechanism and follow Chris on LinkedIn

Subscribe to the Climate Unf*cked podcast at https://climateunfucked.substack.com/

And connect with me on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-coop/

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Chapters

00:00 What is a Climate Peace and Security Advisor?

04:15 How climate impacts show up as violence on the ground

08:45 Somalia's conflict context and why it matters

13:20 How drought and flooding drive resource competition

18:10 The Mataban project: building trust between clans

24:30 Somalia's first £100 million in climate finance

29:50 How Al-Shabab exploits resource scarcity

35:15 Why half of Somalia's population is under 30

40:20 Kenya vs Somalia: stable ecosystems vs conflict spirals

46:10 What surprised Chris most in six years

51:30 Success stories: from small trials to big programs

56:45 Why this matters to someone in the UK

1:07:10 What Chris wishes more people would ask

1:10:30 Where to learn more and get involved