"We Are Building a Fortress on Quicksand": The Fatal Flaw in Europe’s Defense Boom [Video]
Author(s): Florian Krampe
Date: 2026
Topics: Climate Change, Governance, Weapons, Waste, and Pollution
At the Austrian National Bank, Dr Florian Krampe delivers a wake-up call to European policymakers: The massive reallocation of capital toward defense is destined to fail if it ignores the physical realities of the 21st century. Dr. Krampe argues that treating climate change and national security as competing line items is a "strategic fiction." From melting Arctic permafrost collapsing radar stations to extreme heat grounding air forces, the "actorless threat" of climate change is already degrading military readiness.