The results of this exercise show that loss of ecosystem functions and services—and the acceleration of climate change—may contribute to resource scarcity, food insecurity, economic fragility, community displacement, societal unrest, political instability, civil conflict and increased authoritarianism.
Introducing the biotic eruption, a tipping point characterized by the atypical increase of species’ populations, biomass, or byproducts. Biotic eruptions are often the result of environmental pollution, wildlife exploitation, or species introductions. Policymakers should consider these eruptions in a global security context, and take actions accordingly.
The Council on Strategic Risks is pleased to announce a call for applications for its Ecological Security Fellowship, as part of its broader Ecological Security Program.
By Brigitte Hugh, Lillian Parr, and Dr. Dan Regan A recent study published in Nature found that 218 of the 375 infectious diseases that have impacted humanity have been exacerbated by climate hazards intensified by greenhouse gas emissions. In addition, the study highlighted that there are over 1,000 pathways in which climatic hazards can lead…
By Andrea Rezzonico Last week, the Climate and Land Use Alliance launched Climate and Forests 2030, a program aimed at mobilizing finance at scale to help realize the potential of forests to mitigate climate change, benefit people, and protect biodiversity. CSR contributed a report to this effort titled “The Nexus of Climate Change, Ecological Disruption,…
By Dr. Rod Schoonover We are in the midst of an ecological crisis. Biodiversity loss is quickening, ecosystems are collapsing, mass die-offs are rising, zoonotic spillovers are escalating, and populations of harmful organisms are booming. In a January 2021 article titled Underestimating the Challenges of Avoiding a Ghastly Future, 17 of the world’s leading ecologists…
Washington DC, February 9, 2021 – The Converging Risks Lab of the Council on Strategic Risks (CSR) released a landmark report today, The Security Threat That Binds Us, that identifies ecological disruption as a major and underappreciated security threat and calls on the United States to reboot its national security architecture and doctrine to better…