Climate, Peace and Security in the UN Security Council
Publisher: Danish Institute for International Studies
Author(s): Helene Maria Kyed and Justine Chambers
Date: 2026
Topics: Climate Change
Geopolitical divisions, funding cuts, and US withdrawal from climate commitments are placing renewed strain on addressing climate, peace and security (CPS) in the UN Security Council. Coordinated and pragmatic engagement can help sustain the progress achieved so far.Climate, peace and security (CPS) is a recurring topic of debate within the UN Security Council (UNSC) that, despite never achieving a formal thematic mandate, has advanced with the support of a majority of council members since 2011 and is now reflected in 11 missions. CPS engagement in the UNSC rests on an understanding that the impacts of climate change deepen vulnerabilities that can aggravate existing threats to international peace and security, placing the issue within the UNSC’s charter-given mandate. CPS-supportive council members also acknowledge that climate impacts challenge UN peacekeeping operations and that addressing climate change is important to both peacebuilding efforts and the conflict prevention mandate of the UNSC. The existential threat that sea-level rise poses to low-lying coastal states is another recurring topic.