International Military Council on Climate and Security

New Zealand Defence Releases Climate Change Implementation Plan

by internationalmilitarycouncilDecember 11, 2019December 11, 2019 Leave a comment

On December 8, 2019, the New Zealand Minister of Defence Hon. Ron Mark, with Minister for Climate Change Hon James Shaw, released a Climate Change Implementation Work Plan for its defence force, titled Responding to the Climate Crisis: An Implementation Plan. The plan was co-produced by the New Zealand Ministry of Defence and the New Zealand Defence Force. To read the full report, click here, and to read the press release, click here. A contact in the New Zealand Ministry of Defence sent along the following summary of the report:

Femia: Army War College finds service ill-equipped to face climate change

by internationalmilitarycouncilDecember 9, 2019December 6, 2019 Leave a comment

Last week, the Federal News Network’s “Federal Drive” ran an interview with the IMCCS’s Senior Advisor and Manager, Francesco Femia, regarding a recent U.S. Army War College report that alarmingly found the U.S. military “precariously underprepared for the national security implications of climate change-induced global security challenges.” Femia highlighted the key takeaways from the report, including an extraordinary finding specific to the Army, which stated that the service “precipitously close to mission failure concerning hydration of the force in contested arid environments.” Femia recommended that both technical, as well as big strategic and operational changes and investments, are needed to prepare the Army, and the broader U.S. military, for this rapidly-changing operational landscape – including to prepare for the likelihood of adversaries taking advantage of these changes, and a lack of U.S. leadership for addressing them. Click here for the full interview.

Policy Brief: Climate-Related Security Risks and Peacebuilding in Somalia

by internationalmilitarycouncilNovember 22, 2019November 5, 2019 Leave a comment

This article was first published by SIPRI on 23 October 2019, and on the Planetary Security Initiative website here.

Authors: Karolina Eklöw and Dr Florian Krampe

Stockholm, October 23, 2019 – Climate change poses serious challenges to current and future peacebuilding missions, according to a new report by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) which studies the United Nations Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM). Climate change amplifies existing challenges and strengthens radical groups. At the same time, climate change forces missions to think out of the box with UNSOM proving to be an encouraging example.

General Middendorp: Climate Warning Signs Are Flashing Red

by internationalmilitarycouncilNovember 13, 2019November 5, 2019 Leave a comment

In a recent speech to the European Parliament, General Tom Middendorp, Chief of Defence of the Netherlands (Ret), and Chair of the IMCCS, made a bold case for significant preventive and preparatory action on climate change. First, highlighting the threat, he noted:

Event: Climate and Security in the Sahel Region

by internationalmilitarycouncilNovember 7, 2019November 5, 2019 Leave a comment

This article was first published by the Clingendael Netherlands Institute of International Relations.

INTRODUCTION: The public meeting is organised by the Netherlands Atlantic Youth and study association BASIS. Speakers are Clingendael’s Senior Associate Fellow Tom Middendorp and ICCT’s Senior Research Fellow Liesbeth van der Heide. Register here.

Climate change is increasingly becoming a security issue

Drought, degradation and severe floods: climate change is increasingly becoming a security issue. The recent instabilities in the Sahel region, such as the uprisings in Mali and Nigeria and the civil war in Sudan, indicate a connection between climate change and security.

Report: The Responsibility to Prepare and Prevent – A New Climate Security Governance Framework

by internationalmilitarycouncilNovember 4, 2019 Leave a comment

A quick read of daily headlines makes it increasingly clear that current international governance structures are not fully prepared for the security risks of a changing climate. In response to these mounting risks, the Center for Climate and Security – an IMCCS founding partner – is releasing a report calling for a framework for using our unprecedented foresight capabilities to anticipate and prevent the unprecedented security risks of climate change. Titled The Responsibility to Prepare and Prevent (R2P2): A Climate Security Governance Framework for the 21st Century, authors Caitlin Werrell and Francesco Femia identify three critical gaps in the international governance of climate security risks that have stalled preparedness and prevention. The report also offers three concrete proposals for filling those gaps to make sure the world avoids the worst of these risks on the horizon. Click here for the full report, and see below for the Executive Summary.

General Middendorp and the IMCCS in the News

by internationalmilitarycouncilOctober 28, 2019October 28, 2019 Leave a comment

General Tom Middendorp, Chair of the IMCCS, was recently interviewed for an article in the Dutch publication NRC. In it, he highlights the intersection of climate change and security, stating: “Millions of people are or will be affected.” The article discusses the launch of the IMCCS in February 2019, noting that the group develops knowledge on the subject (and will in the future through the forthcoming World Climate and Security report), which is then shared with defense ministries and governments worldwide. Read the article here (it’s in Dutch).

Australia’s Defence Chief: Climate Change a National Security Threat

by internationalmilitarycouncilOctober 4, 2019October 1, 2019 Leave a comment

By Marc Kodack

A recent article published in The Telegraph summarizes the text of a prepared speech by Australia’s Defence Force Chief, General Angus Campbell, which was described as “signed off by all of Defence, including the Chief of the Defence Force, as their official views… on climate change as a national security threat.” The speech was given at an invitation-only event in Australia; thus, it is unclear if the text was presented only as written. In the speech, a reference is made to Australia sending more military personnel to assist with climate-related disasters, both domestic and international, than it had at any one time in Afghanistan to conduct military operations. The speech states that Australia is in “the most natural disaster-prone region in the world” and that “climate change is predicted to make disasters more extreme and more common.” It also warns that the Federal Government’s actions on climate change could “affect relationships with Pacific island nations, who have repeatedly called on Australia to do more to reduce carbon emissions.” In that context, it warns of China filling the gap in leadership left by Australian policy, stating:

Kenyan Defense Cabinet Secretary: Climate Change a Threat to Security

by internationalmilitarycouncilOctober 3, 2019October 2, 2019 Leave a comment

According to Kenya’s NTV News, during a closing ceremony after a joint exercise between the Kenyan and Jordanian armed forces, Kenya’s Defense Cabinet Secretary, Raychelle Awour Omamo, identified climate change, environmental degradation and health security as “the major security threats emerging in Kenya today.” Cabinet Secretary Omamo stated: “These nontraditional security challenges continue to threaten the state and international peace.”

U.S. National Public Radio on Climate and Security Scenarios

by internationalmilitarycouncilSeptember 20, 2019September 19, 2019 Leave a comment

In yesterday’s episode of U.S. National Public Radio’s On Point, Meghna Chakrabarti interviewed journalist Emily Atkin and Francesco Femia, Manager and Senior Advisor of the IMCCS and Co-Founder of the Center for Climate and Security, to discuss the implications of climate change for global instability and conflict. The show built upon an article in the New Republic by Emily Atkin, The Blood-Dimmed Tide, exploring a catastrophic 2100 climate scenario. Francesco touched on a number of topics, including climate risks to militaries and the broader geostrategic environment. Listen to the On Point episode here. The segment with Francesco Femia starts at 25:05, but the full show is worth a listen.