Climate Change as a Global Security Issue: Why Environmental Crises Are Now Part of International Politics

Climate Change as a Global Security Issue: Why Environmental Crises Are Now Part of International Politics - By Ashmitha

Introduction

Climate change has evolved from a predominantly environmental concern into a recognised matter of international peace, security, and legal accountability. International organisations, courts, and defence alliances increasingly treat climate change as a destabilising force that exacerbates geopolitical tensions, resource competition, displacement, and human rights violations. This research analyses the empirical, geopolitical, and legal foundations of climate securitisation.

Climate Change as a “Threat Multiplier”

The United Nations has characterised climate change as a “threat multiplier,” meaning it exacerbates existing vulnerabilities rather than independently causing conflict. Climate-related drought, flooding, and extreme weather increase food insecurity, economic fragility, and migration pressures, particularly in already unstable regions.

According to the UN, an average of approximately 20 million people per year are displaced by weather-related disasters. The Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre reported 32.6 million new internal displacements in 2022, the majority due to disasters. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Sixth Assessment Report confirms with high confidence that climate change increases the frequency and severity of extreme weather events, which in turn intensifies risks to human security.

Climate Change and Geopolitical Competition

The Arctic

The Arctic is warming at approximately three to four times the global average rate. This rapid warming has reduced sea ice coverage, opening new maritime routes such as the Northern Sea Route and increasing access to hydrocarbons and critical minerals.

This has intensified strategic competition between Russia, NATO members, and China. NATO’s 2022 Strategic Concept explicitly recognises climate change as a defining challenge affecting security and defence planning. The European Union has similarly incorporated Arctic climate dynamics into its geopolitical strategy. Climate change, therefore, alters territorial access, maritime governance, and military positioning—placing environmental change directly within the sphere of international security policy.

Climate Change and Fragile States

Syria

A severe drought from 2006–2010 contributed to agricultural collapse in Syria, driving rural–urban migration and compounding pre-existing political and economic grievances. While climate change did not cause the Syrian conflict, peer-reviewed research indicates it significantly increased the likelihood of instability by intensifying drought severity. This exemplifies the “threat multiplier” dynamic: environmental stress interacts with governance failure to heighten conflict risk.

The Sahel

The UN Security Council has repeatedly acknowledged that climate change exacerbates instability in the Sahel region, particularly where livelihoods depend on pastoralism and agriculture. Competition over land and water resources has intensified communal conflict in Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso.

Climate-Induced Displacement

The World Bank estimates that up to 216 million people could become internally displaced by climate impacts by 2050 in six world regions if urgent action is not taken. Unlike traditional refugee flows, climate displacement often occurs internally, but it creates cross-border political pressures, humanitarian strain, and diplomatic tension. The absence of a dedicated international legal category for “climate refugees” further complicates governance.

Small island developing states such as Tuvalu and Kiribati face existential threats from sea-level rise, raising complex questions of sovereignty, statehood, and maritime boundaries under international law.

Climate Change in International Law

Climate change is increasingly framed as a matter of state responsibility and human rights.

International Court of Justice Advisory Opinion (2025)

In Obligations of States in respect of Climate Change (Advisory Opinion) (2025), the International Court of Justice recognised climate change as an “urgent and existential threat” and affirmed that states have obligations under international law—including customary international law and human rights treaties—to mitigate emissions and prevent transboundary harm.

Urgenda Foundation v State of the Netherlands (2019)

In Urgenda Foundation v State of the Netherlands, the Dutch Supreme Court held that the government’s insufficient emissions reductions violated Articles 2 and 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights (right to life and right to private and family life). The Court ordered the Netherlands to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 25% by the end of 2020 relative to 1990 levels.

Climate Change and Military Strategy

NATO’s Climate Change and Security Action Plan (2021) integrates climate risk into defence planning. Military installations are increasingly vulnerable to sea-level rise and extreme weather, while changing Arctic conditions affect operational theatres. The UK Ministry of Defence’s Climate Change and Sustainability Strategic Approach (2021) recognises climate change as a factor influencing global instability and defence readiness.

Why Environmental Crises Are Embedded in International Politics

Environmental crises are now part of international politics because they:

• Intensify resource scarcity and competition.

• Increase displacement and migration pressures.

• Heighten instability in fragile states.

• Influence military doctrine and defence planning.

• Trigger international litigation and legal accountability.

• Raise existential sovereignty issues for vulnerable states.