Europe and Climate Security: Is Europe Delivering on its Rhetoric?

Over the past 15 years, climate-related risks to peace and stability have fastly risen up the European agenda. This report explores the extent to which this policy focus has influenced the international agenda and the degree to which it has translated into improved European responses to the causes and consequences of insecurity in fragile states.

Europe is a champion for greater action on both climate change and the pursuit of international peace and security. While there has been significant progress, gaps still remain. The EU has the ability to combine a wide variety of economic and political policy tools, affording the bloc a scope for action that is unparalleled in most other regional organisations. Against this backdrop, climate insecurity as an issue has gained traction in headquarters, but this has yet to filter down in a systematic manner to operations planning and actual missions in the field. 

This report proposes three areas for action:

• Keep climate security high on the political agenda.
• Translate the policy focus into core operations.
• Invest in conflict prevention, mediation and peace processes.

For further information, please visit the Climate Security Expert Network (CSEN) website.