Beyond the UN Security Council: Can the UN General Assembly Tackle the Climate–Security Challenge?


Jun 20, 2023 | Adam Day and Florian Krampe
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The wildfires raging in Canada are yet another reminder that climate change is already having an impact on all our lives. As the smoke clears around the United Nations building in New York, we are likely to see a renewed push for the UN Security Council to tackle the security risks posed by climate change, including in the upcoming New Agenda for Peace policy brief from UN Secretary-General António Guterres. Recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reports, supported by a growing body of scientific evidence, reach the inescapable conclusion that climate change is a meaningful factor in the risks of violent conflict. In fact, one group of experts recently suggested that only a ‘misreading of the state of science’ could allow any doubt over the links between climate change and insecurity.