Keeping the UK Secure in a Climate-Changed World

New UK government must place climate considerations at the heart of national security decision-making.

Rising temperatures, combined with more extreme and less predictable weather patterns, are compounding traditional security stressors and contributing to new threats.

Climate shocks have also complexified security dynamics in states affected by armed conflict.

Previous reviews have acknowledged that climate change poses a threat.

But they underappreciated the scale and pace of climate-related damages and the extent of their entanglement with (all) national security issues.

Neglecting climate change in the latest Strategic Defence Review would also cause the UK to fall further behind allies who are now prioritising climate security.

Defence should drive efforts to strengthen interdepartmental understanding and coordination on climate security.

A rapid national security risk assessment of climate change is needed to establish a full picture of the threats to UK security emanating from the climate crisis.

Building climate literacy across the national security workforce would also contribute towards a more people-centred approach to defence.