Climate Change as a Security Risk
Publisher: Diplomacy and Law
Author(s): Edmarverson A. Santos
Date: 2026
Topics: Climate Change, Conflict Causes, Governance
Climate Change is now a security risk because it weakens the material conditions that allow states, communities, and legal systems to function: stable coastlines, predictable water supplies, reliable food production, habitable territory, public health, and effective institutions. Its legal importance does not depend on the exaggerated claim that climate change automatically causes war. The more accurate claim is sharper: climate change increases the probability, scale, and legal significance of harm where governance is weak, inequality is severe, infrastructure is exposed, or communities already live under political or economic stress.