EU, NATO discuss impact of climate change on transatlantic security

BIRMINGHAM, England

Climate change is a global threat that everyone must address, a German Marshall Fund panel stressed on Wednesday in Brussels, Belgium.

A climate security discussion occurred between NATO Secretary Jens Stoltenberg, US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry, EU High Representative Josep Borrell, and European Commission Vice President Frans Timmermans.

The NATO chief said he acknowledges that “there’s a hot war going on in Europe,” but NATO has to address climate change and cannot remain an alliance of fossil fuel.

“The war in Ukraine has actually demonstrated how energy and climate change are linked to our security because [Russian] President [Vladimir] Putin used energy to coerce NATO allies to support Ukraine,” said Stoltenberg, adding that the alliance has to prioritize climate change in the NATO agenda.

Stoltenberg recognized that militaries consume high amounts of fossil fuels. “If we’re going to reach global net zero, we also need the use of quite substantial emissions for military activities,” he said.

EU’s Timmermans focused on the extreme heatwaves and droughts that are increasing across the globe. He said that climate change has made people desperate, leading to serious security issues and a mass migration crisis.

“The fact that parts of Africa risk becoming unlivable because of high temperatures has a huge impact on migration flows. You know, we’re talking about countries where the average age is below 20. And these people are not going to sit there and die; they’re going to look for a better place to go. So migration will greatly influence everything we do in food production. The commodity that will probably be most fought over in the future is water. Who would have thought that a decade ago, water would be a more rare commodity than oil or gas,” said Timmermans. He added that the challenges are manifested and creating global security problems.

John Kerry stated that climate change is “one of two or three most serious security issues we face on this planet.” He said that businesses are unwilling to transition to green energy.

“This is the biggest economic transformation we’re looking at since the Industrial Revolution. The opportunities where these new technologies have people working is really interesting and cleaner and better-paying jobs and is right there staring us in the face.”

EU’s foreign policy chief Borrell said 13 of the 20 most vulnerable countries — in terms of having their capability of countering climate change — have been in “significant conflicts for the past five years.

“They are fighting, and when people are fighting, climate change is not the most important issue to take care of. And this fight is mainly because resources are scarce due to climate change. According to the United Nations, since 2008, every year, 20 million people have had to leave their houses due to droughts, floods, and heat waves,” Borrell said.