Armed forces and the challenges of climate change Many states already deal with the topic of climate change in their military strategies
by Greta Nielsen, Advisor, Federal Office of Bundeswehr Infrastructure, Environmental Protection & Services, Bonn
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limate and the accompanying environmental changes are some of the major challenges for global security. Hence, those responsible for providing this security – stability, freedom and justice – are in charge. Consequences of climate change, such as shifts in global precipitation patterns, sea level rise or the increasing number of extreme weather events are affecting the work of the armed forces in different ways.
Multiple reasons for conflicts
Photo: © UN Photo/Sylvain Liechti
THE EUROPEAN – SECURITY AND DEFENCE UNION
ambitions from some global actors with consequences that are difficult to determine. Many states already deal with the topic of climate change in their military strategies. A study reveals that most of these states expect a significant increase in aid missions due to extreme weather events which are the most noticeable result of climate change in their work. The study also mentioned the growing number of humanitarian operations due to emerging large-scale migration flows caused by resource scarcity1. The German Bundeswehr, like other armed forces, is used to working in uncertain conditions as a result of alternating political environments and positions, but the impacts of a rapidly changing environment will be additionally and increasingly demanding.
Regions already known as politically and societally fragile will be further destabilised due to resource allocation conflicts as well as migration flows emerging from the limited availability of Future challenges require new approaches important resources. Especially in climate zones where water The complexity of the upcoming challenges, which are directly is scarce, consequential problems or indirectly linked to climate such as the shortage of drinking change, as well as the neceswater, desertification or soil sity to adapt to these, require Greta Nielsen salinisation can have significant multidimensional thinking, new has been an Advisor for Sustainabilnegative impacts on entire reapproaches and careful trade-offs ity, Environmental Management and gions. Furthermore, there is an inbetween sometimes fundamental Biodiversity at the Federal Office for creasing risk of local communities needs (see table). The Bundes Bundeswehr Infrastructure, Environbecoming susceptible to recruitwehr Office for Defence Planmental Protection and Services since ment by terrorist groups such as ning addresses these issues by 2014. Born in 1985 in Hamburg, she Photo: © Bundeswehr / the Islamic State or Boko Haram. developing future scenarios. Often holds a degree in Science (Protected J. Pushparajah-Hoof However, even regions which many of the parameters are rather Area Management) from the James have been known as uncritical in vague, thus various scenarios Cook University in Townsville, Australia, and a Diploma terms of global security suddenly have to be developed in order to in Landscape Ecology and Nature Conservation from the become potential subjects of gain a certain level of planning seErnst-Moritz-Arndt-University, Greifswald, Germany. She conflict. For example, the melting curity. A substudy of the “Future has published articles in various international publications. Arctic ice pack prompts economic Report – Environmental Dimen-
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