Climate Security on Day One

The author recommends two immediate 'Day One' actions for a U.S. President to address climate security: rejoining the Paris Agreement to restore international leadership and announcing a whole-of-government 'Climate Security Plan for America'. This plan is structured around four pillars: demonstrating leadership through a new White House Office on Climate Security, assessing risks via an interagency Climate Security Crisis Watch Center in the ODNI, supporting allies through Regional Climate Security Plans, and preparing for impacts through a Climate Security Infrastructure Initiative and a global greenhouse gas emission reduction policy.

• The author asserts that rejoining the Paris Agreement on the first day of a presidency is essential for the U.S. to regain its international stature and leadership, noting that the previous intention to withdraw cast the U.S. as a "rogue nation on the world stage" without providing any actual gain.
• The proposed 'Climate Security Plan for America' consists of four pillars: demonstrating leadership, assessing climate risks, supporting allies and partners, and preparing for and preventing climate impacts.
• To institutionalize climate security, the author recommends creating a White House Office on Climate Security and an interagency Climate Security Crisis Watch Center within the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) to conduct annual in-depth assessments of global security risks.
• The plan suggests developing Regional Climate Security Plans to bolster resilience and clean energy transitions in key countries and a Climate Security Infrastructure Initiative to improve the resilience of civilian and military infrastructure.
• The author argues for an economy-wide Climate Security Prevention Policy, both domestically and globally, to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to a scale that avoids catastrophic security consequences.

APA

The Council on Strategic Risks (2020). Climate Security on Day One. https://councilonstrategicrisks.org/2020/05/04/climate-security-on-day-one/

Chicago

The Council on Strategic Risks. Climate Security on Day One. 2020. https://councilonstrategicrisks.org/2020/05/04/climate-security-on-day-one/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=The Council on Strategic Risks |title=Climate Security on Day One |date=4 May 2020 |url=https://councilonstrategicrisks.org/2020/05/04/climate-security-on-day-one/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{thecouncilonstrategicrisks2020climate, author = {{The Council on Strategic Risks}}, title = {{Climate Security on Day One}}, publisher = {The Council on Strategic Risks}, year = {2020}, month = may, url = {https://councilonstrategicrisks.org/2020/05/04/climate-security-on-day-one/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }