Securing our Climate - Hello!
Hi, I’m Alan and welcome to the first official Securing our Climate newsletter post!
The world is getting hotter. Swings in weather are becoming more extreme and unpredictable. We don’t have a global action plan that is on track. Over the past five years, term "climate security" has gained traction among governments, NGOs and the development sector, but much less so in the business world, where companies and investors have tended to focus on objectives like net zero and ESG investing. What else can be done, as individuals, communities and companies, to adapt to the worst of what nature and conflict throws at us?
Have you pondered this too? Then read on.
This newsletter will share “what catches the eye” on the flows between our climate and the security of our communities, from the perspective of a security and geopolitics professional in the corporate sector. If you’re a decision-maker or somebody who informs one where climate change matters, I hope this newsletter will help you analyse your choices through a different lens, and spark ideas on your climate messaging to stakeholders.
This newsletter is also part of my personal journey into climate work. I’ve wondered about how I can be a better advocate for climate security and resilience. After speaking with many people in my network and a survey (to the more than three dozen of you who voted last month on my profile, thank you!), it is my hope that that this newsletter is a good place to start.
I’ll be posting about once a month, depending on work, life and the antics of two new feline friends in my household. This newsletter represents my personal views only, and not necessarily those of my employer.
I’m looking forward to connecting with you each month. If you’re as excited as I am, please read on, Subscribe and Share / Recommend with your network. If this is not of interest, unsubscribing is also easy.
Your voice matters! Feedback and ideas in the Comment section are most welcome.
"Climate change is the greatest threat to our existence in our short history on this planet. Nobody’s going to buy their way out of its effects." - Mark Ruffalo, known for Collateral and Avengers
I leave you with three things which caught my eye:
Verisk Maplecroft recently published its annual environmental risk outlook, which frames climate risk hazards' secondary impacts on people and societies as “cascading risks,” suggesting that we are most vulnerable where safeguards such as rule of law, social benefits systems, and trust in key social institutions are already weak or nonexistent. It’s worth a read.
An Australian blue-ribbon panel of senior ex-defence officials ministers and civil servants launched a proposal calling for the Australian government to formally conduct a climate risk assessment through the lens of national security, and set up a comprehensive ("full-spectrum") climate intelligence capability. Environmental disasters like the bushfires and crop failures in 2021 signal the urgency for joined-up monitoring, analysis and decision-making for a country at the climate frontline. Read the proposal here.
A poll from market research firm Mintel found 31% of respondents voiced concern over water shortages, and 23% flagged food security as a concern - a 4% and 5% rise, respectively between 2021 and 2022. The survey suggests, unsurprisingly, that the changes may be driven by the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the global cost-of-living crisis. Unfortunately it’s behind a paywall; if you have a copy of the full survey, I’d love to read it!
This IS the crisis of our times that leaves no one and nothing untouched. Let's work on it together.