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Miliband to warn climate change threatens every nation’s security
UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband is set to tell leaders at the Cop31 summit in Turkey that climate change threatens every country’s national security. He will link rising temperatures to food shortages, economic disruption, migration and conflict, arguing that security concerns should become a central reason for climate action.
Miliband says the effects of climate breakdown once imagined as science fiction are now regular news, and that fossil fuel price shocks have become commonplace. He will warn that global warming is likely to exceed 1.5C above pre-industrial levels, requiring stronger emissions cuts and efforts to limit and eventually reverse the rise. Several major world leaders, including those of China, India, France and Germany, are not attending the leaders’ summit segment.
In short
- Miliband says climate change is a national security threat to every country.
- He will urge stronger action as 1.5C warming overshoot becomes likely.
- Fossil fuel price shocks add to economic insecurity.
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Climate change can intensify pressures on food supplies, economies and communities, and those pressures may contribute to displacement and conflict across borders. Treating climate risks as a national security concern could help governments prepare for these disruptions and make a stronger case for cutting emissions and limiting warming.
The case against
Framing climate change primarily as a security threat may overstate how directly it causes conflict or migration, which also depend on political and economic conditions. Governments could argue that climate policy should be grounded in careful evidence and pursued through international cooperation, without allowing security language to overshadow other priorities or imply that every country faces the same risks.
Explained simply
The United Nations climate talks, known as COP, bring countries together to discuss cutting greenhouse gas emissions and preparing for climate impacts. The 1.5°C figure refers to the rise in average global temperature since the pre-industrial period; it is a goal in the Paris climate agreement, which countries adopted in 2015.
Ed Miliband is the UK foreign secretary and is due to address leaders at COP31 in Turkey. Governments at the talks have different responsibilities and priorities, and the absence of some major leaders may affect the level of political representation.
Climate risks can affect food supplies, economies and where people are able to live, and may add pressure to relations between countries. Governments consider these issues as part of national security, alongside traditional concerns such as defence.
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Originally published by The Guardian as “Ed Miliband says national security of all countries at risk from climate crisis”.