Climate Security at the 75th NATO Summit: What to Watch

The briefing outlines four critical areas for the 75th NATO Summit to ensure the Alliance's future operating environment is resilient: planning for military responses to climate hazards, implementing the 2021 Action Plan on Climate and Security, operationalizing the nexus between climate and human security, and navigating the energy transition to reduce strategic vulnerabilities.

• There is an increasing demand for member state military assets to provide humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR) due to climate hazards. Examples include the Canadian Armed Forces spending over 100 days firefighting in 2023 and the US National Guard deploying domestically more than 70 times in the last two years to combat climate hazards.
• NATO aims to be the leading international organization for understanding and adapting to climate change's impact on security via its 2021 Agenda and Action Plan on Climate and Security. The recent opening of the Climate Change and Security Centre of Excellence (CCASCOE) provides a means to reinvigorate this policy, though challenges remain in convincing climate-skeptical members of the alignment between climate security and core NATO tasks.
• Climate change is closely linked to human security challenges such as food insecurity, migration, and forced displacement, as seen in the Middle East and South Asia. While NATO adopted a Human Security Approach at the 2022 Madrid Summit, limited resources and member state buy-in have hindered the integration of these agendas with climate security.
• The energy transition is a critical security priority for NATO members following the global energy crisis caused by Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The Alliance must focus on sustainable energy security, avoiding dependence on strategic competitors, and protecting critical infrastructure, although emissions targets remain a national competency.

APA

The Council on Strategic Risks (2024). Climate Security at the 75th NATO Summit: What to Watch. https://councilonstrategicrisks.org/2024/07/01/climate-security-at-the-75th-nato-summit-what-to-watch/

Chicago

The Council on Strategic Risks. Climate Security at the 75th NATO Summit: What to Watch. 2024. https://councilonstrategicrisks.org/2024/07/01/climate-security-at-the-75th-nato-summit-what-to-watch/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=The Council on Strategic Risks |title=Climate Security at the 75th NATO Summit: What to Watch |date=1 July 2024 |url=https://councilonstrategicrisks.org/2024/07/01/climate-security-at-the-75th-nato-summit-what-to-watch/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{thecouncilonstrategicrisks2024climate, author = {{The Council on Strategic Risks}}, title = {{Climate Security at the 75th NATO Summit: What to Watch}}, institution = {The Council on Strategic Risks}, year = {2024}, month = jul, url = {https://councilonstrategicrisks.org/2024/07/01/climate-security-at-the-75th-nato-summit-what-to-watch/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }