Citizens in many countries in Europe are increasingly concerned by global geopolitical developments and that a feeling of insecurity is on the rise. Consequently, discussions in Europe today focus on concepts and solutions aiming at stabilisation, “de-risking” and reducing dependencies as well as at increasing security through “resilience” and “strategic autonomy”.
One major area of concern is climate change, not only when it comes to endangering the environment, but in particular its direct and indirect impact on national, regional and international security. Austria and Europe have witnessed several dramatic effects of climate change: extreme weather and climate conditions including droughts as well as floods, melting glaciers, impacts on agriculture, natural disasters resulting in damaged infrastructure as well as lives lost.
So why does the issue of climate change and security merit an additional scientific review of its risks, impacts and costs? Firstly, the security sector itself contributes to climate change. Moreover, its impact is less well understood than that of other sectors. There is still very little research on the amount of annual greenhouse gases emitted by armed forces around the world.
Secondly, security as a global and human good is severely impacted by climate change. Not only is human security affected, but there is also a risk of massive shifts in the entire global ecosystem. This encompasses many areas of security, such as the environment and economy in general as well as energy, health, food, forest and water management, desertification, infrastructure, housing, migration and many more.
Thirdly, global challenges – or even threats – demand global responses. The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) adopted a consensus decision in 2021 that gave the Organization a mandate to continue to encourage its participating States to enhance their co-operation in mitigating and adapting to climate change and to intensify their concrete cross-border action.
Raising awareness of climate-related challenges and intensifying dialogue and cooperation must start at the national level to be effective. Therefore, a joint publication by the Austrian Ministries of Defence and European and International Affairs seems logical. To illustrate the diverse effects of climate change, national and international experts from the OSCE participating States were asked to share their expertise and views. As women and girls are often among the groups most vulnerable to the adverse impacts of climate change, the authors were particularly asked to give due consideration to gender-specific aspects where deemed appropriate.
This are extracts from a report, published in 2024 by the Federal Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Austria, authored by Hans Lampalzer and Gerald Hainzl. The full report can be accessed through the link here.