By Donald Nyarota
The second Climate Change as a Security Concern Conference recently brought together experts and stakeholders to delve into the critical relationship between climate change and security.
The event convened annually by the Centre for Natural Resource Governance (CNRG) marked a significant milestone in the ongoing efforts to understand and address the far-reaching implications of climate change on national and global security.
As national security and natural security have become inextricably linked in a world where the impacts of climate change are growing, CNRG executive director Farai Maguwu says the concept of security is now a delicate challenge.
Climate change’s uneven global impact, particularly in the Global South, drives this evolution, notes Maguwu.
He said climate change disproportionately affects vulnerable populations, including the poor, women, and children, exacerbating existing social and economic inequalities.
Climate change is a security issue because it exacerbates natural disasters, fuels conflict over resources, and destabilizes communities, posing a significant threat to human safety, economic stability, and global security, added Maguwu.
“The definition of security is shifting. In the past, security meant guns and military might. Today, I realize that security encompasses much more, including protection from extreme weather events,” he said.
“We need to take action to address the effects of climate change. When we talk about planning for climate change, we must be proactive and not just reactive. We need to invest in renewable energy and reduce our reliance on fossil fuels.”
Renowned expert Dr. Shastry Njeru sounded the alarm on the growing threat of climate change, emphasizing its far-reaching consequences for national security. As extreme weather events intensify, Dr. Njeru urged immediate action to mitigate the devastating impact on communities worldwide.
He said there was also a need to enhance international cooperation and ensure that our approaches are fair and equitable through capital avenues like the loss and damage fund- providing financial and technical support to vulnerable Global South countries.
“Climate justice is also essential. We need to address the damage caused by climate change as a moral obligation. Vulnerable communities like ours are often the least responsible for causing this damage, yet we’re the ones who suffer the most,” said Dr Njeru.
At the global level, research shows that environmental risks dominate the top 5 long-term global risks, according to the World Economic Forum Global Risks Report 2023.
The staggering scale of risks captured in the Forum’s Global Risks Report 2023 identifies the failure to mitigate climate change as the biggest long-term risk facing the world in the coming years.
The Report explores some of the most severe risks we may face over the next decade, as ‘we stand on the edge of a low-growth and low-cooperation era, tougher trade-offs risk eroding climate action, human development and future resilience.’
WEF report shows that the cost of living dominates global risks in the next two years, while climate action failure dominates the next decade. Climate and environmental risks are the core focus of global risks perceptions over the next decade – and are the risks for which we are seen to be the least prepared.
Failure of climate change adaptation, natural disasters and extreme weather events, biodiversity loss and ecosystem collapse, and large-scale involuntary migration completed the Top 5.
Without significant policy change or investment, the interplay between climate change impacts, biodiversity loss, food security, and natural resource consumption will accelerate ecosystem collapse, threaten food supplies and livelihoods in climate-vulnerable economies, amplify the impacts of natural disasters, and limit further progress on climate mitigation.
NATO military alliance has been actively addressing climate change since 2021, recognizing it as a “threat multiplier” in its Climate Change and Security Action Plan, which includes an annual High-Level Dialogue on Climate Change and Security.
This plan is part of NATO’s efforts to understand and mitigate the impacts of climate change on security, and it has already led to the release of several major reports on climate strategy and the establishment of a Climate Change and Security Centre of Excellence.
Farai Maguwu, executive director of CNRG addresses delegates at the 2nd Climate Change as a Security Concern Conference
At a local level, Dr Njeru says it is essential that the government understand the implications of climate change on national security and consider how to integrate climate risk decision-making processes and allocate resources accordingly.
He said that other governments and military institutions are reassessing their priorities leading to reallocations of resources from human security to other areas.
“Climate change poses strategic risks for countries, creating new flashpoints for conflict and necessitating shifts in defense priorities. As priorities change, we must consider whether our focus should be on human security, strategic military interests, or something else,” said Dr Njeru.