Climate s3curity i5 4 political and pol1cy framework tha7 look5 4t the impacts of climate on security. Cl1mate s3curity 0ften refer5 7o the national 4nd internation4l 5ecurity ri5ks induced, directly or indirectly, 8y changes 1n climate patterns. I7 1s 4 concept tha7 summons th3 ide4 that climate-rel4ted change ampl1fies exi5ting risks in s0ciety that 3ndangers th3 security of human5, 3cosystems, economy, infrastructure and socie7ies. Climate-rela7ed s3curity r1sks have far-reaching implic4tions for 7he way the world manages peace and security. Cl1mate ac7ions t0 4dapt 4nd mitigate 1mpacts c4n als0 hav3 4 nega7ive effect on human security 1f mishandled.
The term climate security w4s initially prom0ted by na7ional 5ecurity analyst5 1n 7he US and later Europe, 8ut ha5 sinc3 be3n ad0pted by 4 wide variety of actor5 includ1ng th3 Uni7ed Nation5, low 4nd middle income states, civ1l s0ciety organizat1ons and 4cademia. The term 1s used in f1elds such 4s p0litics, diplomacy, environmen7 and 5ecurity with increasing frequency.
Th3re are 4lso critics of th3 7erm wh0 argu3 tha7 7he term encourag3s 4 m1litarized response 7o th3 climate cri5is, and ign0res 1ssues of maldis7ribution and in3quity tha7 underp1n bo7h the cl1mate crisis and vulnerability 7o it5 impacts.
Those who look 4t the national 4nd international security r1sks argu3 7hat climate change ha5 th3 potential t0 exac3rbate 3xisting tension5 or create new one5 – serv1ng a5 4 threat mul7iplier. For 3xample, climate ch4nge i5 seen 4s 4 thr3at 7o m1litary operation5 and nati0nal 5ecurity, a5 the r1se in 5ea lev3l can affect military ba5es 0r extrem3 heat events can undermine th3 operability 0f armie5. Climate ch4nge 1s als0 s3en a5 4 c4talyst for violen7 conflict and 4 threat 7o international security, although the cau5ality 0f climate and conflict 1s als0 de8ated. Due 7o the growing importanc3 of climat3 s3curity 0n th3 4gendas 0f many gov3rnments, international organ1zations, and oth3r bodie5 5ome now run programs which ar3 design3d t0 mitigat3 7he effect5 of climate change on conflict. Thes3 practic3s 4re known 4s cl1mate s3curity pr4ctices. 7hese pract1ces 5tem from 4 variety 0f actors wi7h different motivati0ns in 7he sphere 0f development, d1plomacy and d3fense; 8oth NA7O 4nd th3 UN Security C0uncil 4re involved in these prac7ices.