Security Council Background Guide

Topic: Climate Security

Conference Year: 2025

Topic Background

Climate security refers to the nexus between climate change and international peace and security. Over recent decades, the Security Council has increasingly recognized that climate change acts as a "threat multiplier," exacerbating existing vulnerabilities, resource scarcities, and socio-political tensions that can lead to conflict or instability. The origins of this focus trace back to early 2000s discussions on environmental security, but it gained greater prominence in the 2010s as the scientific consensus on climate impacts solidified and extreme weather events intensified.

The Security Council’s engagement with climate security has grown in response to concrete cases where climate-related stresses have contributed to conflict dynamics, including in the Sahel, the Horn of Africa, and parts of the Middle East. The year 2025 marks a critical juncture as the global average temperature rise approaches thresholds that many experts warn could trigger irreversible geopolitical destabilization. Additionally, the international community faces the compounding challenges of climate-induced displacement, competition over diminishing natural resources like water and arable land, and the security implications of climate impacts on military installations and peacekeeping operations.

This agenda item is before the Security Council now because of escalating climate-related security risks, the need to integrate climate considerations into peacekeeping mandates and conflict prevention strategies, and the growing calls from vulnerable states and regional organizations for the Council to adopt more proactive and coordinated responses. The Council must also consider how to balance climate security with issues of sovereignty, development, and humanitarian assistance.

Key Actors

States

• Small Island Developing States (SIDS) such as the Maldives and Fiji: Vocal advocates for urgent action on climate security due to existential threats posed by sea-level rise and extreme weather. Often push for stronger Security Council engagement and international support mechanisms.
• Sahelian States including Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso: Directly affected by climate-induced desertification and resource competition fueling insurgencies and communal violence; they seek Security Council attention on climate as a driver of conflict.
• China and Russia: Generally cautious about expanding Security Council mandates to include climate security, emphasizing state sovereignty and non-interference, and wary of securitizing climate change.
• United States and European Union members (e.g., France, UK): Support integrating climate change into peace and security frameworks, advocating for preventive diplomacy and incorporating climate risk assessments into peacekeeping operations.

International Organizations

• United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC): Provides the overarching international climate policy framework; its Paris Agreement goals are relevant to mitigating climate security risks.
• United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP): Offers environmental expertise and early warning on climate-related risks that impact security.
• United Nations Development Programme (UNDP): Works on resilience-building and adaptation projects that intersect with conflict prevention.
• African Union (AU): Active in addressing climate security challenges in Africa, including through its Peace and Security Council and initiatives linking environmental stress and conflict.
• World Food Programme (WFP) and International Organization for Migration (IOM): Key actors on the humanitarian and displacement dimensions of climate security.

Bloc Positions

1. Vulnerable States Bloc (SIDS, Least Developed Countries, Sahel States)

• Advocate for urgent Security Council action linking climate change and conflict prevention.
• Call for increased funding and international support for adaptation and resilience in fragile contexts.
• Emphasize human security, displacement, and humanitarian consequences of climate insecurity.

2. Western and EU Bloc (United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Canada)

• Support integrating climate risk analysis into Security Council mandates and peacekeeping operations.
• Promote preventive diplomacy and conflict-sensitive climate adaptation strategies.
• Favor cooperation with UN agencies and regional bodies to address climate security comprehensively.

3. Sovereignty and Non-Interference Bloc (Russia, China, India, Brazil)

• Cautious about expanding Security Council’s remit to include climate security, citing risks of politicization and infringement on sovereignty.
• Stress climate change as a development and environmental issue primarily addressed through UNFCCC, not Security Council.
• Advocate for respect of national ownership and voluntary cooperation rather than binding Security Council action.

4. Regional Powers and Middle Powers (South Africa, Nigeria, Indonesia, Turkey)

• Emphasize regional approaches and partnerships, including AU and ASEAN mechanisms, to address climate security.
• Support Security Council engagement but urge context-specific, balanced responses that consider development needs.
• Highlight the importance of addressing root causes such as poverty and governance deficits alongside climate factors.

Past UN Action

• Security Council Presidential Statement S/PRST/2011/15: Recognized climate change as a threat multiplier in conflict-affected areas.
• Security Council Resolution 2349 (2017): Addressed the Sahel crisis, acknowledging environmental degradation and climate change as factors exacerbating insecurity.
• Security Council Resolution 2573 (2021): Called for integrating climate risk assessments into peacekeeping mandates and encouraged cooperation with UN climate agencies.
• Secretary-General’s Report on Climate and Security (2020): Provided comprehensive analysis of climate-related security risks and recommended enhanced UN system coordination.
• General Assembly Resolution 76/300 (2022): Highlighted the importance of addressing climate security challenges through multilateral cooperation, reinforcing Security Council engagement.

Questions a Resolution Should Answer

1. How can the Security Council effectively integrate climate risk assessments into existing peacekeeping and conflict prevention mandates?
2. What mechanisms should be established to improve coordination between the Security Council, UN climate bodies (e.g., UNFCCC, UNEP), and regional organizations?
3. How can the Council support vulnerable states in building resilience to climate-related security risks without infringing on sovereignty?
4. What role should the Security Council play in addressing climate-induced displacement and migration as security concerns?
5. How can climate security considerations be balanced with development and humanitarian priorities in conflict-affected regions?
6. Should the Security Council establish early warning systems or monitoring frameworks specifically focused on climate-conflict linkages?
7. What funding and resource mobilization strategies can the Council endorse to support climate adaptation and peacebuilding in fragile contexts?

Further Reading

• UN Documents: Official Security Council resolutions, presidential statements, and Secretary-General reports on climate change and security provide authoritative guidance and reflect evolving Council positions. These include thematic reports by the UN Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs (DPPA) and climate-focused analyses by UNEP and UNDP.

• Think-Tank Reports: Policy papers and briefs from institutions such as the International Crisis Group, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), and the Center for Climate and Security offer expert analysis on climate-security linkages, regional case studies, and recommendations for Security Council action.

• News Outlets and Journals: Reputable international media (e.g., Reuters, Al Jazeera, The Guardian) and academic journals (e.g., Global Environmental Politics, International Security) provide up-to-date coverage of climate security developments, Security Council debates, and real-time conflict dynamics influenced by climate factors.

This background guide aims to equip delegates with the necessary context, actors, and policy considerations to engage substantively on climate security within the Security Council in 2025. The challenge lies in balancing preventive security measures with respect for state sovereignty and development imperatives, while addressing an increasingly urgent global threat.