The issues of human security and conflict in relation to climate change have evolved to a place where they now constitute a recognized and important component in the climate change conversation, and are being addressed in a diverse range of fora through meetings, reports and changes in policy.
For example, the UN Security Council has dedicated two sessions to the security threat posed by climate change; for the first time ever an assessment report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) devoted an entire chapter to human security; and a recently published US Department of Defense Adaptation Roadmap states that “climate change poses an immediate threat to national security,” calling on the military to incorporate climate change into “broader strategic thinking about high-risk regions.”
Climate change is referred to as a “threat multiplier” because of its potential to exacerbate many of the current challenges and threats already being faced in some countries, such as infectious disease, terrorism and conflict over scarce resources. It can contribute to instability, lead to displacement and migration, worsen existing conflicts and threaten global security. Many developing countries, and particularly weaker and poorer States, have less capacity to prepare for and adapt to climate change, with a flood or drought capable of causing instability and unrest. For example, climate change can contribute to food insecurity and increase the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events, which can lead to massive displacement and/or migration and conflict over food, water and/or arable land and border disputes. This ultimately reflects a lack of security in the daily lives of people. As climate change impacts worsen and temperatures rise, the threats to security have the potential to become more prominent and definitive.
However, viewing climate change as a security threat is not something all countries have historically been comfortable with, or were even aware of. Moreover, the issue was not so prevalent and the linkages were more tenuous in the early stages of international discussions on climate change. The UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Kyoto Protocol contain no reference to human security. Furthermore, when discussions on security and climate change at the international level first took place almost ten years ago when the UN Security Council addressed the impacts of climate change on peace and security, the issue was still considered a “future” concern. At the time, climate change was mostly being addressed within the traditional climate change-related fora, was considered an “environmental issue” and primarily fell under the purview of environmental ministries. While today security is widely recognized as a legitimate concern in relation to climate change and is being addressed in various fora and international organizations, as mentioned, security-related concerns have yet to make their way into the formal climate change negotiations under the UNFCCC, the only global instrument to address climate change.
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