25 February 2021

Our last chance to get this right: UNSC debate on climate-security

On Tuesday, 23 February, the UN Security Council held a debate on the topic of climate security, hosted by the United Kingdom. The following overview highlights some of the key messages member states conveyed in the debate, where the majority shared supporting views on advancing the UNSC response to the security risks of climate change.
23 February 2021

Ecological degradation as an underappreciated security threat

A new report from the Council on Strategic Risks highlights the risk that ecological disruption poses to both national and international security. The report urges governments to fund programs that promote capacity building, build water and food security, strengthen international conservation and combat environmental crime.
18 February 2021

Report: Avert catastrophe now in Africa’s Sahel

World leaders have a disappointing record when it comes to crises that take decades to unfold. Much greater investment in the prevention of HIV/AIDS in the 1980s could have saved millions of lives and billions of dollars 20 years later, for instance.  The western Sahel region of Africa lies between the Sahara Desert to the north and the Sudanian Savannah to the south. By 2050, the region’s population is expected to more than double, to 450 million, and temperatures there are expected to rise to about 3 °C above their 1950 level.

18 February 2021

British Prime Minister to lead UNSC debate on climate security

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will chair a special debate at the UN Security Council on the nexus of climate and security and how this impacts current and future UN objectives. Watch the the event live online or follow the live updates via the PSI's twitter account.
17 February 2021

The Carbon Footprint of Europe's Military Sectors

A new study by the Conflict and Environment Observatory and Scientists for Global Responsibility illustrates that not only military spending is swallowing up resources that could and should be used to tackle climate change, invest in global justice, and to promote peaceful conflict resolution and disarmament, but that the military technology industry in itself is significantly contributing to the climate emergency. 
17 February 2021

Climate change and security in North Africa

Africa is one of the hardest-hit regions by climate change. North Africa is expected to face increasing temperatures, droughts, and decreasing and/or varying levels of rainfall and groundwater levels. This paper contributes to a better understanding of the links between climate change, development and security in North Africa, with a focus on water and energy in Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia.
15 February 2021

Natural Gas. The new ‘green’ resource curse?

A new policy brief by the Planetary Security Initiative (PSI) analyses and compares the implications of natural gas extraction in Mozambique and Cyprus. The discovery of natural gas reserves off the coast of these two countries has sparked external investment which has security, environmental and geopolitical implications.
04 February 2021

EU Armed Forces and Climate Change

Armed forces across Europe are increasingly including climate matters in their agendas since their priorities based on readiness, operations, and strategy are increasingly being influenced by environmental factors. In its recent report, the European Army Interoperability Centre (FINABEL) discusses the various challenges Europe could face as a result of a changing climate and provides several policy recommendations.
03 February 2021

Climate security and the strategic energy pathway in South Asia

The Expert Group of the International Military Council on Climate and Security (IMCCS) released two new reports, one on South Asia and the other on Southeast Asia, warning that climate change is threatening stability and security in the region, and calling for urgent action to both drastically reduce carbon emissions and prevent climate security risks.
28 January 2021

Climate Change and Security in the Arctic

A new report by the Center for Climate and Security (CCS), an Institute of the Council on Strategic Risks (CSR), together with the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs (NUPI), assesses the growing security risks posed by a warming climate in one of the most rapidly changing regions on Earth: the Arctic.
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