Climate Change and NATO: A New Study

Feb 2, 2018 | Amar Causevic
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This article summarizes findings from a recent journal article, Facing an Unpredictable Threat: Is NATO Ideally Placed to Manage Climate Change as a Non-Traditional Threat Multiplier?” published in the George C. Marshall European Centre for Security Studies’ “Connections: The Quarterly Journal.” Climate change acts as multiplier of other threats to national and international security. The multiplier effects of climate change include stresses on the ability of families to provide for themselves (which can contribute to increased refugee and migration flows), a broader spread of diseases, potentially causing or exacerbating lethal pandemics, and other significant challenges to human security. Climate change, and its attendant “threat multiplier” effects, also present challenges to militaries around the world. Increased temperatures, and the resulting negative effects, can have significant implications for military operations, personnel, and installations. For example, sea level rise and the increased incidence and severity of extreme storms directly affect military facilities, increase the cost of security, and impede the capacity of states and alliances to address traditional threats.