Climate Change: A Top-Tier Threat in the 2022 U.S. National Security Strategy

The 2022 U.S. National Security Strategy (NSS) frames climate change as a "top-tier threat" and a potentially "existential" problem for all nations, placing it on par with geopolitical challenges. The document notes that the NSS incorporates climate risks and solutions across all aspects of national security and foreign policy, including regional strategies and carbon pollution reduction. While the briefing concludes that the NSS successfully recognizes the interdependence of natural systems, it also identifies "several contradictions which should be improved." The NSS specifically highlights the urgency of the current decade to prevent global temperatures from crossing the 1.5 degrees Celsius threshold.

• The 2022 National Security Strategy (NSS) elevates climate change to a primary security concern, categorizing it as a top-tier threat comparable to geopolitical challenges from U.S. competitors and adversaries.
• The NSS identifies climate change as the most significant shared problem facing all nations, warning that failure to act globally within the current decade could lead to irreversible catastrophic impacts once the 1.5 degrees Celsius warming threshold is exceeded.
• The 2022 NSS incorporates climate risks and solutions into all areas of foreign policy and national security, including regional strategies, carbon pollution reduction, and resilience building, while addressing five key recommendations: sectoral inclusivity, ecological security, environmental monitoring, unpredictability planning, and U.S. leadership.

APA

Goodman, S., Kaufman, H., & Baudu, P. (2022). Climate Change: A Top-Tier Threat in the 2022 U.S. National Security Strategy. The Council on Strategic Risks. https://councilonstrategicrisks.org/2022/11/14/briefer-climate-change-a-top-tier-threat-in-the-2022-u-s-national-security-strategy/

Chicago

Goodman, Sherri, Holly Kaufman, and Pauline Baudu. Climate Change: A Top-Tier Threat in the 2022 U.S. National Security Strategy. The Council on Strategic Risks, 2022. https://councilonstrategicrisks.org/2022/11/14/briefer-climate-change-a-top-tier-threat-in-the-2022-u-s-national-security-strategy/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Goodman |first1=Sherri |last2=Kaufman |first2=Holly |last3=Baudu |first3=Pauline |title=Climate Change: A Top-Tier Threat in the 2022 U.S. National Security Strategy |publisher=The Council on Strategic Risks |date=14 November 2022 |url=https://councilonstrategicrisks.org/2022/11/14/briefer-climate-change-a-top-tier-threat-in-the-2022-u-s-national-security-strategy/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{goodman2022climate, author = {Goodman, Sherri and Kaufman, Holly and Baudu, Pauline}, title = {{Climate Change: A Top-Tier Threat in the 2022 U.S. National Security Strategy}}, institution = {The Council on Strategic Risks}, year = {2022}, month = nov, url = {https://councilonstrategicrisks.org/2022/11/14/briefer-climate-change-a-top-tier-threat-in-the-2022-u-s-national-security-strategy/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }