Climate Change and Security

Abstract

Climate change is transforming the way security is understood today because it is no longer seen primarily as an economic or environmental issue. The intersection between climate change and national security considerations, foreign policy matters, human security concerns and military responses is reflected in the UNSC’s acknowledgement that the absence of war and military conflicts amongst states does not in itself ensure international peace and security. These non-military sources of instability in the economic, social, humanitarian and ecological fields have become threats to peace and security. A combination of these very critical aspects not only weighs down states in coming to terms with climate issues but also points to group interests, lobbies and the ‘voice’ of the marginalised community, which take differing positions. In recent times, climate change and security concerns have tended to sit together far more comfortably in security debates and policy responses, which in the hierarchy of security priorities have remained largely insignificant, traditional security frameworks limited by state boundaries. Far more relevant today are notions of security in terms of conceptual adjustment or, in popular security discourse, ‘challenging state-centric proprietorship of security’, requiring broad-based participation and an interdisciplinary approach. The author believes that the UN Security Council ought to play a leading role in solving the impending crisis.