Climate Change as a Threat Multiplier: History, Uses and Future of the Concept

The document examines the origin and influence of the "threat multiplier" concept, coined in 2007 by the CNA Military Advisory Board to describe how climate change exacerbates existing instabilities and security risks.

• The term "threat multiplier" was created in 2007 by the CNA (Center for Naval Analyses) Military Advisory Board, led by Sherri Goodman, to describe how climate change interacts with and worsens pre-existing threats and drivers of instability to increase security risks.
• The concept has significantly influenced the climate-security discourse, serving as a definitional baseline for risk analysis and becoming one of the primary ways the security implications of climate change are understood by scholars and practitioners.

APA

Goodman, S., & Baudu, P. (2023). Climate Change as a Threat Multiplier: History, Uses and Future of the Concept. The Council on Strategic Risks. https://councilonstrategicrisks.org/2023/01/03/briefer-climate-change-as-a-threat-multiplier-history-uses-and-future-of-the-concept/

Chicago

Goodman, Sherri, and Pauline Baudu. Climate Change as a Threat Multiplier: History, Uses and Future of the Concept. The Council on Strategic Risks, 2023. https://councilonstrategicrisks.org/2023/01/03/briefer-climate-change-as-a-threat-multiplier-history-uses-and-future-of-the-concept/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Goodman |first1=Sherri |last2=Baudu |first2=Pauline |title=Climate Change as a Threat Multiplier: History, Uses and Future of the Concept |publisher=The Council on Strategic Risks |date=3 January 2023 |url=https://councilonstrategicrisks.org/2023/01/03/briefer-climate-change-as-a-threat-multiplier-history-uses-and-future-of-the-concept/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{goodman2023climate, author = {Goodman, Sherri and Baudu, Pauline}, title = {{Climate Change as a Threat Multiplier: History, Uses and Future of the Concept}}, institution = {The Council on Strategic Risks}, year = {2023}, month = jan, url = {https://councilonstrategicrisks.org/2023/01/03/briefer-climate-change-as-a-threat-multiplier-history-uses-and-future-of-the-concept/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }