It is an honour to speak to you today on the most timely but complex topic of climate, nature and conflict. When I received the invitation, I was very pleased to see that this topic had been chosen as the theme for this central plenary of the annual conference of the European Consortium on Political Research. I am speaking this afternoon in my capacity as Chair of The Elders, the group of independent global leaders founded by Nelson Mandela in 2007 who work for peace, justice, human rights and a sustainable planet, and also as an angry granny! For us Elders, these goals are indivisible. They were articulated succinctly last year by my fellow Elder Juan Manuel Santos, the former President of Colombia and Nobel Peace Laureate, when he addressed the UN Security Council on the need for humanity to “make peace with nature”. He challenged those in the Council who wish to treat climate and conflict as separate issues, noting that in the real world, the consequences of climate change and conflict very clearly converge. He put it simply, but clearly: “There cannot be peace without sustainable development, and there cannot be sustainable development without peace.”