According to the Red Cross’ global chief, governments must begin to treat the climate crisis on a level with war. The threat of climate breakdown threatening countries stability and safety means that they must be treated as a national security concern.
Jagan Chapagain (secretary general of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies) stated that the climate crisis is a national security concern because it has an impact on national security. We need to recognize that the climate crisis is having a significant security and environmental impact.
Chapagain spoke prior to the publication of a scientific paper by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change on Monday. It is expected that it will show that the effects of the climate crisis have been greater than anticipated and that governments need to act quickly to prepare for extreme weather events and their consequences.
The Red Cross has BewareAt least 1.7billion people are already facing serious problems due to the climate crisis. Covid-19 was founded by an organisation that works in conflict zones and assists those affected by disasters. It found that about 2 million people needed humanitarian aid each week due to the climate breakdown.
Chapagain stated: Every inhabited place in the world is affected. We can see the effects of disasters through our response work. Unfortunately, I don’t think we are as prepared.
He stated that more people are facing hunger, water scarcity, and the prospect of moving to avoid natural catastrophes like floods and droughts.
There are effects on displacement. A study we did last year found that more people were being displaced by the climate than by conflict. He explained that most of this displacement is happening within national borders. However, that can still have an affect on national security or the potential for conflict.
Chapagain said that governments aren’t used to thinking of climate as a threat to national security. While national security concerns are evident in conflicts like that in Ukraine, he said that the climate crisis was causing problems that are not widely recognized.
We must look at the whole picture. He said that the climate crisis has a direct impact on national security and must be given a higher priority by governments than it has been. We will underestimate the severity of the climate crisis if we respond in fragmented ways.
Chapagain stated that all government departments must be involved in the climate change response. He added that there is a complete disconnection at the moment.
The IPCC is the international body of top climate scientists. On Monday, it will publish its report about the impacts of climate crisis. It will include information on which areas are most affected and recommendations on how countries can adapt to the extreme weather impacts that are now inevitable, even if global warming is limited to 1.5C above preindustrial levels.
This is the second of the six parts of its sixth assessment reports. The latest in a series which provides comprehensive summaries on the world’s knowledge about climate since 1988. The first part of the assessment report was published in August. The third, which will be published in April, will provide the means for dealing with the crisis.
Since IPCC reports take between five- and seven years, the current assessment will be the last to be completed before the worst ravages caused by climate breakdown. The IPCC has warned that global greenhouse gas emission must be reduced by half by 2030 if we are to maintain 1.5C. But, after the collapse of the lockdowns carbon dioxide emissions have rebounded strongly and are forecast to rise this year.