climate security – Council on Strategic Risks

Water Weaponization: Its Forms, Its Use in the Russia-Ukraine War, and What to Do About It

by Council on Strategic RisksJune 1, 2023June 1, 2023Leave a comment

Water has been associated with conflict and cooperation between states since the beginning of recorded history. In ancient Mesopotamia, a conflict over the Euphrates River between two Sumerian cities yielded the world’s first recorded treaty. However, water has just as often been weaponized during conflict—water weaponization being the exploitation of the human need for water, by deliberately rendering it scarce and/ or insecure. This briefer will highlight the core elements of water weaponization, and then assess its practice in the Russia-Ukraine war to date.

Call for Applications: Climate Security Fellows 2023-2024

by Council on Strategic RisksJune 1, 2023June 1, 2023Leave a comment

The Center for Climate and Security (CCS), an institute of the Council on Strategic Risks, is pleased to announce a call for applications for the 2023-2024 Climate Security Fellowship. In the last few years, extreme weather, food and energy crises,…

New Report: Climate Security Scenarios in the Balkans

by Council on Strategic RisksMay 9, 2023May 9, 2023Leave a comment

The Balkans region will experience significant climate change-related hazards, including droughts, heatwaves, tropical storms, and wildfires. Given the region’s reliance on hydropower, and its position as a highly trafficked land route for migration to the European Union, these climate impacts could result in cascading security risks. In an interactive scenario exercise hosted by the International Military Council on Climate and Security (IMCCS) Expert Group, adelphi, and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) at the Berlin Climate Security Conference - hosted by adelphi and the German Federal Foreign Office - in October 2022, exercise participants identified two of the most important, or diagnostic, and uncertain drivers of change in the region – primary external investment sources (e.g. European Union [EU]/NATO or China) and regional cohesion. Participants then created four future scenarios which explored how these drivers would combine with climate impacts to create security risks. Analysis of these scenarios yielded five key recommendations for NATO countries and EU leaders:

Pivoting Toward Climate Security: An Interview with Lt. Gen. Richard Nugee (ret.)

by Elsa BarronApril 20, 2023May 3, 2023Leave a comment

Lieutenant General Richard Nugee (ret.) recently joined the International Military Council on Climate and Security (IMCCS) as a senior advisor. He is the Non-Executive Director for Climate Change and Sustainability for the UK Government. Previously, he spent a year leading the Climate Change and Sustainability Strategic Approach at the Ministry of Defence at the end of his 36-year military career. The following conversation reflects on his pivot toward climate security and his priorities and hopes for future action. It has been edited for length and clarity.

EVENT: Managing Unavoidable Climate Security Risks: U.S. Investments in Resilience

by Courtney TIllmanApril 13, 2023April 28, 2023Leave a comment

On April 27th, the Center for Climate and Security (CCS) will host the virtual roundtable, “Managing Unavoidable Climate Security Risks: U.S. Investments in Resilience” from 2:00 - 3:30 pm Eastern Time.

EVENT: Climate Security in NATO’s Backyard: A Discussion with Young Leaders

by Elsa BarronApril 4, 2023April 4, 2023Leave a comment

On April 23, IMCCS will welcome the U.S. Permanent Representative to NATO Julianne Smith and NATO 2030 Young Leader Katarina Kertysova for a conversation on a future vision for peace and security.

We’re Recruiting: 5-month Consultant for CSR’s Work Examining Climate/Ecological Security and Emerging Diseases

by Andrew FaciniMarch 29, 2023March 29, 2023Leave a comment

CSR is seeking an independent consultant with a strong background in climate change and ecological issues, and knowledge or eagerness to learn about how these issues are affecting the risk of disease spillover.

EVENT: China’s Climate Security Vulnerabilities

by Courtney TIllmanMarch 28, 2023April 12, 2023Leave a comment

In an era increasingly defined by climate change, the United States and China stand out as the two largest emitters of greenhouse gases—but neither country is immune to its impacts. China, home to nearly 20% of the world’s population and 6.5% of the Earth’s land surface, faces a number of climate security challenges. A recent report published by the Center for Climate and Security identified three categories of risk: (1) direct risks to military and critical infrastructure; (2) compounding risks to internal political stability as climate change threatens food and water security; and (3) external risks as competition over shared resources is heightened and China contends with the impacts of climate on its more vulnerable neighbors.

Climate and Ecological Security in the 2023 Annual Threat Assessment

by Erin SikorskyMarch 16, 2023March 16, 2023Leave a comment

As in previous years, climate and ecological security issues featured in the briefing and submitted testimonies presented by ODNI and the rest of the IC.

Climate & Food Security on Stage at the Munich Security Conference

by Erin SikorskyFebruary 28, 2023February 28, 2023Leave a comment

Almost a year after the brutal Russian invasion of Ukraine began, it was no surprise that the 2023 Munich Security Conference focused on the importance and implications of the ongoing conflict. This focus included a look at the second-order effects of the conflict, such as global food insecurity and the energy transition – a recognition that tackling such transnational challenges are integral to what the conference report identified as a need for “A re-envisioned liberal, rules-based international order…to strengthen democratic resilience in an era of fierce systemic competition with autocratic regimes.”