NATO releases 2024 Climate Change and Security Impact Assessment Report

9 July 2024

NATO released the Secretary General’s annual Climate Change and Security Impact Assessment on Tuesday (9 July 2024). It notes that accelerating climate change has “a profound impact on Allied security,” and stresses the need for NATO to remain fit for purpose in a rapidly changing environment.

This assessment is part of an ambitious Action Plan on Climate Change and Security that NATO Leaders adopted at the Brussels Summit in 2021. Building on previous editions, it examines the impact of climate change on each of NATO’s operating domains – sea, land, air, space and cyber – as well as on NATO’s missions and operations, and resilience and civil preparedness.

In the chapter on Resilience and Civil Preparedness, the report states that “… it is crucial for Allies to prepare and adapt to the impacts of climate change and environmental degradation, and to integrate these considerations into their national security strategies.”

Some impacts of climate change, across the Baseline Requirements for national resilience that Allies have collectively agreed, that are explored in detail include: Civil Transport Systems, Civil Communications Services, Energy Supplies, Food and Water Resources, Mass Casualties and Disruptive Health Crises and Uncontrolled Movement of People.

Disaster Response

In a section on Disaster Response the report says that “The increase in extreme weather events can overwhelm national civil protection capabilities and resources. Increasingly, civilian authorities turn to militaries for assistance in conducting disaster response activities” … Examples cited include the response to Canada’s worst wildfire season to date in 2023, the deployment of armed forces in critical rescue and evacuation services during catastrophic floods of August 2023 in Slovenia – described as the country’s worst natural disaster since its independence in 1991, and the deployment of over 600 U.S. military personnel from different branches of the Armed Forces and the National Guard in support of the wildfire management in Maui which was one of the largest US military deployments in response to a single hazard in recent years.

Adding that “In many cases, the combined civil and military capacities of a nation are insufficient to cope with a disaster, necessitating international military support” And that “In 2023, there were 29 international military deployments to respond to climate-related emergencies in 14 countries.

The section on Disaster Response concludes by saying that “As extreme weather events grow in frequency and intensity, this tension is expected to intensify further. Observers suggest that new rapid response structures beyond militaries may be needed to address the long-term challenges posed by climate change” … and that “NATO, with its unique blend of civilian and military tools, is well placed to support national responses to climate-related disasters. Strengthening civil military cooperation and enhancing civil emergency response capabilities are among the tools available to Allies”.