Policy Interventions to Address Climate and Food-Related Instability

The document details a roundtable event focused on the 'climate-food-security nexus,' arguing that the US must integrate defense and security actors into food security efforts to maintain stability and military readiness. Key recommendations include improving actionable intelligence through tools like the Climate Security Alert Tool, combating illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing through security cooperation, and increasing public investment in agricultural research and development.

• To protect military readiness and operations, US defense and security actors require actionable assessments of the nexus between climate, food, and instability. The Department of Defense (DOD) has already begun this by partnering with the Global Water Security Center and through US Africa Command's (AFRICOM) development of a Climate Security Alert Tool to anticipate food crises and climate shocks.
• Illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing is identified as a significant threat to global food security, particularly in developing countries, and is exacerbated by climate-driven shifts in ocean temperatures and fish stocks. The US can enhance food security by expanding security cooperation and at-sea operations, similar to US Southern Command's (SOUTHCOM) work in Central and South America, to other high-risk regions such as Africa.
• The US should collaborate with middle-income food producers, specifically Brazil, Argentina, and India, to support fragile states and diversify global food trade. Diversification is seen as a way to reduce vulnerabilities to the 'weaponization of food,' citing the impact of Russia's war in Ukraine on countries dependent on Ukrainian exports.
• There is a critical need to increase public agricultural research and development, which has decreased by one-third over the last 20 years. Such investments, including DOD-led research into sustainability and food system stability (e.g., via DARPA), provide high economic returns and serve as a model for international leadership.

APA

Wong, E. (2024). Policy Interventions to Address Climate and Food-Related Instability. The Council on Strategic Risks. https://councilonstrategicrisks.org/2024/05/29/policy-interventions-to-address-climate-and-food-related-instability-event-summary/

Chicago

Wong, Ethan. Policy Interventions to Address Climate and Food-Related Instability. The Council on Strategic Risks, 2024. https://councilonstrategicrisks.org/2024/05/29/policy-interventions-to-address-climate-and-food-related-instability-event-summary/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Wong |first1=Ethan |title=Policy Interventions to Address Climate and Food-Related Instability |publisher=The Council on Strategic Risks |date=29 May 2024 |url=https://councilonstrategicrisks.org/2024/05/29/policy-interventions-to-address-climate-and-food-related-instability-event-summary/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{wong2024policy, author = {Wong, Ethan}, title = {{Policy Interventions to Address Climate and Food-Related Instability}}, institution = {The Council on Strategic Risks}, year = {2024}, month = may, url = {https://councilonstrategicrisks.org/2024/05/29/policy-interventions-to-address-climate-and-food-related-instability-event-summary/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }