Climate Change and Ecological Security Must Be at the Center of Our National Defense Strategy

The authors contend that climate change acts as a 'destabilizing force' and 'threat multiplier' that fundamentally shapes geopolitical risks, affecting U.S. interests regarding China, Russia, and other global threats. They highlight how environmental degradation drives military activity in the Arctic and allows China to gain influence in the Indo-Pacific. Additionally, the text notes that climate-related disasters and heat extremes directly undermine U.S. military readiness by damaging installations and limiting training. The authors suggest that while the U.S. must remain vigilant against adversaries, climate and biodiversity cooperation could serve as a pillar for diplomatic engagement.

• Climate change serves as a 'threat multiplier' that exacerbates geopolitical tensions, such as increasing military activity by Russia and China in the Arctic due to reduced ice, and allowing China to use humanitarian aid to influence island nations like Kiribati and the Solomon Islands facing sea level rise.
• Environmental factors, including food insecurity and droughts, are linked to violence in regions such as Iraq and Somalia.
• U.S. military readiness is compromised by climate change through the physical destruction of installations—citing the impact of Hurricane Florence on Camp Lejeune and Hurricane Michael on Tyndall Air Force Base in 2018—as well as heat extremes that limit training days.
• The authors argue that cooperation on climate change, pollution, and biodiversity loss can improve security and relationship-building, citing the U.S.-China joint declaration at the Glasgow Conference of the Parties as an example of potential cooperation despite fraught relations.

APA

Kaufman, H., Goodman, S., & Conger, J. (2021). Climate Change and Ecological Security Must Be at the Center of Our National Defense Strategy. The Council on Strategic Risks. https://councilonstrategicrisks.org/2021/12/15/climate-change-and-ecological-security-must-be-at-the-center-of-our-national-defense-strategy/

Chicago

Kaufman, Holly, Sherri Goodman, and John Conger. Climate Change and Ecological Security Must Be at the Center of Our National Defense Strategy. The Council on Strategic Risks, 2021. https://councilonstrategicrisks.org/2021/12/15/climate-change-and-ecological-security-must-be-at-the-center-of-our-national-defense-strategy/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Kaufman |first1=Holly |last2=Goodman |first2=Sherri |last3=Conger |first3=John |title=Climate Change and Ecological Security Must Be at the Center of Our National Defense Strategy |publisher=The Council on Strategic Risks |date=15 December 2021 |url=https://councilonstrategicrisks.org/2021/12/15/climate-change-and-ecological-security-must-be-at-the-center-of-our-national-defense-strategy/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{kaufman2021climate, author = {Kaufman, Holly and Goodman, Sherri and Conger, John}, title = {{Climate Change and Ecological Security Must Be at the Center of Our National Defense Strategy}}, publisher = {The Council on Strategic Risks}, year = {2021}, month = dec, url = {https://councilonstrategicrisks.org/2021/12/15/climate-change-and-ecological-security-must-be-at-the-center-of-our-national-defense-strategy/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }