Scientific evidence supports UN security council engagement with climate change

This brief shows that scientific literature offers ample evidence that climate change can constitute a real threat to international peace and security. Sixteen years after the first United Nations Security Council debate on climate change and security, there is still no agreement on how the Council should engage with the issue. A major reason for the stalemate is enduring claims by a minority of Council members that there is little scientific foundation for connecting climate change with security concerns.

The brief makes the following points:

• Establishing a shared understanding of the state of science would be an important step in facilitating an explicit climate security agenda in the Security Council.
• Although the average climate effect on conflict is judged to be modest at present, climate change is expected to become a more prominent driver of conflict in the future.
• Concerted actions to mitigate and adapt to climate change can be beneficial for peace and security.
• Poorly managed responses to climate change can accentuate security risks.