The strategic importance of food security in Europe

The report highlights the strategic link between food security and political stability in Europe, warning that climate-driven food shocks and geopolitical conflicts can fuel populism and undermine climate action. It calls for increased investment in multidisciplinary climate modelling, adaptive funding for rural communities, and a leadership role for the EU in promoting resilient global food systems to mitigate risks of social unrest and migration.

• Food insecurity is closely linked to political instability and social unrest in Europe, creating a 'negative spiral' where climate impacts lead to food insecurity, which then fuels political polarisation and curbs the will for climate action.
• Europe is currently ill-equipped to handle climate-driven food shocks; approximately 7% of the population experiences moderate-to-severe food insecurity, with south-eastern Europe being the most affected and Southern Europe the most vulnerable to production declines.
• Existing climate models are insufficient for policy planning because they underrepresent uncertainties and fail to adequately account for catastrophic risks, such as simultaneous harvest failures across multiple regions.
• Socio-economic instability in rural communities makes them susceptible to populist narratives and anti-environmentalist propaganda, which can derail the implementation of climate reforms and the EU's Farm to Fork strategy.
• Global food security and geopolitical stability are interdependent; the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, combined with extreme heat in Southern Europe, led to a 6.7 million tonne decrease in EU cereal production and increased inflation.
• Food insecurity is a significant driver of migration from sub-Saharan African countries to Europe, with over 1.2 billion people living in 'perfect storm' countries vulnerable to food, energy, and cost-of-living crises.

APA

Climate Strategies (n.d.). The strategic importance of food security in Europe. https://climatestrategies.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Augures-Strategic-Paper-on-Food-Security-PDF.pdf

Chicago

Climate Strategies. The strategic importance of food security in Europe. n.d. https://climatestrategies.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Augures-Strategic-Paper-on-Food-Security-PDF.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Climate Strategies |title=The strategic importance of food security in Europe |url=https://climatestrategies.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Augures-Strategic-Paper-on-Food-Security-PDF.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{climatestrategiesndstrategic, author = {{Climate Strategies}}, title = {{The strategic importance of food security in Europe}}, institution = {Climate Strategies}, url = {https://climatestrategies.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Augures-Strategic-Paper-on-Food-Security-PDF.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }