Security and Climate

Climate Security — Creator: Freepik / edited FES

The climate crisis threatens our existence

This has been a consensus among scientists for years. Nevertheless, the public's awareness of the urgency has only increased in the last few years. On the one hand, more and more extreme weather events can be more precisely attributed to climate change. On the other hand, the "Fridays For Future" movement has emerged, which has made the climate crisis a relevant political issue. The crisis is not just an environmental crisis. It is also a threat to states' stability, peace, and security. The consequences of the climate crisis have implications for foreign policy.

The climate crisis pushes for international cooperation in a geopolitical system competition that is currently intensifying. This competition must not make the necessary cooperation in overcoming the climate crisis impossible. At the same time, climate policy is also foreign policy, and the significant imminent changes (decarbonization, energy transition) are not in isolation from this geopolitical competition. The challenges are national, European and multilateral.

#5facts

Our video series „5 facts” gives an accessible understanding of climate security in Europe. We highlight different aspects of the topic like energy security, the war in Ukraine and climate change.

Publications

Extreme weather events - a new driver of conflict in Europe?

Kaschowitz, Sabrina ; Stanger, Sophia | Wien : Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, FES Regional Office for International Cooperation Cooperation and Peace, October 2026

Lessons from Germany's Ahr Valley