Climate Security at COP28: Issues to Watch

The briefing highlights the unprecedented inclusion of peace on the COP28 agenda, the role of climate finance as a security tool and geopolitical flashpoint, the environmental and security impacts of the wars in Gaza and Ukraine, and the security implications of the first Global Stocktake's findings on temperature rise.

• For the first time in the history of UN climate conferences, peace is explicitly included on the agenda, specifically for the December 3rd thematic focus on Health/ Relief/ Recovery and Peace. This focus aims to accelerate adaptation and address loss and damage in "fragile and conflict-affected contexts, which face severe barriers to accessing climate finance and strengthening climate action."
• Climate finance, particularly for adaptation, is viewed as a security investment to reduce future instability and conflict. However, funding shortfalls have become a geopolitical flashpoint, with "Tensions also are rising between countries over climate financing" as high- and middle-income nations lag in commitments to low-income countries.
• Ongoing conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine create significant environmental and security risks. In Gaza, the war and blockades prevent the desalination of water and operation of sanitation facilities, leading to sewage entering the Mediterranean Sea. In Ukraine, the conflict threatens "long-term ecological health, agricultural productivity, and global food security."
• The first Global Stocktake at COP28 assesses progress toward the 1.5 degrees Celsius Paris Agreement goal, though the UN Environment Program’s Emissions Gap Report indicates a current trajectory toward 2.9 degrees Celsius. This projected warming increases security risks through extreme heat, drought, and sea level rise, which can exacerbate regional tensions, such as water insecurity in Iran and Turkey.

APA

The Council on Strategic Risks (2023). Climate Security at COP28: Issues to Watch. https://councilonstrategicrisks.org/2023/11/27/climate-security-at-cop28-issues-to-watch/

Chicago

The Council on Strategic Risks. Climate Security at COP28: Issues to Watch. 2023. https://councilonstrategicrisks.org/2023/11/27/climate-security-at-cop28-issues-to-watch/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=The Council on Strategic Risks |title=Climate Security at COP28: Issues to Watch |date=27 November 2023 |url=https://councilonstrategicrisks.org/2023/11/27/climate-security-at-cop28-issues-to-watch/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{thecouncilonstrategicrisks2023climate, author = {{The Council on Strategic Risks}}, title = {{Climate Security at COP28: Issues to Watch}}, institution = {The Council on Strategic Risks}, year = {2023}, month = nov, url = {https://councilonstrategicrisks.org/2023/11/27/climate-security-at-cop28-issues-to-watch/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }