Sustaining a Climate for Peace

Jun 14, 2021 | Wilson Center
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After years of derision under the Trump administration, NATO members are no doubt looking forward to the summit today as a harbinger of closer and more predictable transatlantic collaboration. Among the many issues on the table should be the endorsement of a climate security action plan.

Given recent events in Eastern Europe, how to deal with Russia will loom large in the discussions – not least because of the subsequent meeting between presidents Biden and Putin. Particularly for the US, closer coordination within NATO on China will be just as big a priority. Whereas NATO governments agree that both China and Russia pose challenges to the Alliance, how to address these challenges threatens to be divisive. It is a safe bet to expect foreign policy commentators to focus on these differences. Yet this may overstate diversity in strategic outlook when in fact a lot is shared.

The biggest of these shared interests relates to the climate crisis. Climate change was prominent in the bilateral US-UK discussions due to both governments’ investment of political capital into the coming COP in Glasgow. It also informed the G7 summit and will also be in the agenda of the first EU-US summit since 2014. More surprisingly, perhaps, it will also feature prominently in the NATO summit on June 14 which, insiders report, will endorse a climate security action plan.  

Why would NATO devote time to climate security risks? There are essentially three reasons. The first relates to the symbolic significance of affirming that climate change is a threat to international peace and security that is already manifesting in many parts of the world. The Action Plan is hence a welcome sign that NATO members are committed to working together and facilitating multilateral collaboration around a topic that will only grow in importance for the Alliance.