During the Cold War, the Soviet Union kept a significant portion of its nuclear-weapons arsenal in the Arctic. Russia’s inability to effectively deal with this nuclear legacy created the potential for an environmental catastrophe. A new policy brief by the European Leadership Network (ELN) looks into the growing risks of nuclear incidents in the Russian Arctic, and proposes concrete transparency and confidence-building measures to limit them.

The second report in the “Migration, environment and climate change” by IOM explores some of the main ways in which environmental change and migration have been linked to date. In addition to the environmental influences, the report considered critical economic, political, demographic and social factors, such as level of socio-economic development, resource scarcity, governance frameworks, population growth, and urbanisation.

On 19 June, Planetary Security Initiative (PSI) hosted a webinar to discuss climate-security nexus from a military, diplomacy and development perspective. Four experts shared their insights related to ‘climate Interventions and Peace in the age of Covid-19’ and answered the audience questions. Read the highlights and watch the webinar here.

Should the national security of the United States adapt to the twin global emergencies of COVID-19 and climate change? In this article, the author argues that as the dangers of pandemic disease and global warming become definite and present, the U.S. foreign policy establishment is forced to reassess its conventional conceptions of national security.

The impact of climate change on coastal cities has increased in recent years. As a result, livelihoods of the residents of these cities are under high-pressure. Governments and financial institutions need a localised risk information tool to help them safeguard residents and their livelihoods where there are only limited resources to use. The Climate and Ocean Risk Vulnerability Index (CORVI) is developed by Stimson Center to meet the growing need for a developed risk assessment tool.

A new research paper by the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP) discusses the role of the UN Security Council in addressing the security impact of climate change. The European countries Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Belgium, Sweden, and France are supporting Small Island Developing States in their attempts to make security policy implications from climate change once more a topic for the United Nations (UN) Security Council.

Despite the call for a (temporary) ceasefire at the onset of the pandemic, in most conflict settings fighting has resumed, if halted at all. This makes it more relevant to consider how natural resource and climate action could help to establish dialogues between conflicting parties. Join our PSI webinar on 19 June 15.00-16.15 (CEST) where we discuss the climate-security nexus from a military, diplomacy and development perspective.

Claims about mass migration induced by climate change are prevalent but vary widely. IOM's estimates range from 25 million to 1 billion people. A recent report by the Mixed Migration Center (MMC) on climate change and mixed migration in the Horn of Africa & Yemen indicates how linkages are hard to locate and how evidence is still slim.

The majority of Mali's regions are affected by violent conflict. This conflict is exacerbated by climate change impact. Increasing temperatures and significant rainfall variability are leading to droughts, floods, and bush fires. Conflict and climate change are combining to affect livelihoods and put resilience under strain. Read the Climate Security Expert Network (CSEN) latest risk brief.

While responsible for only 4% of global carbon dioxide emissions, 57% of the countries in Africa are facing the highest burden of climate exposure. Two reports by SIPRI are outlining the policy status of climate security risks in the African Union and recommending advancing the understanding and response to climate-related security risks in the AU.