The Gathering Storm: Climate Change as a Non-Malicious Threat

A recent report highlights the UK's insufficient preparation for non-malicious threats, including the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change. These threats can destabilize entire countries through events like hurricanes, droughts, and system collapses. The report urges reform in national security policies to address climate change more seriously.

A report published by a UK public inquiry into the COVID-19 pandemic reveals significant shortcomings in how the government prepared for major, non-malicious threats like pandemics and climate change. Despite the pandemic being the UK's greatest security crisis since WWII, it was not prioritized as much as other threats.

This oversight is not isolated to diseases; climate change poses a similarly grave threat to security. Extreme weather events, such as hurricanes and droughts, highlight the cascading impacts of climate change that can destabilize countries and global systems. Yet, extreme climate scenarios are often ignored in current security strategies.

Worryingly, crucial risks like the weakening Atlantic meridional overturning circulation aren't covered in the UK's national register of security threats. The government's forthcoming review of national security policies presents an opportunity to integrate climate change narratives into top-level decision-making.

(With inputs from agencies.)