Experts from the German Federal Intelligence Service and climate researchers warn of the consequences of the climate crisis on national security. According to a study commissioned by the German Foreign Office, natural disasters threaten the security and property of Germans, imperil the economic well-being of Germany and disrupt critical infrastructure.
The “National, Interdisciplinary Climate Risk Assessment” (NiKE) concludes that high adaptation and reconstruction costs will negatively impact economic growth. The authors describe how events in other countries can have a ripple effect on Germany and Europe.
“Climate-related consequences indirectly result in a global increase in humanitarian crises and disrupted supply chains, which also affect Germany and the EU” the report states. “Climate change, in combination with other factors, exacerbates existing resource shortages and food insecurity, which can force migration.”
Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Green Party) told the magazine that the climate crisis is “the greatest security threat of our time.” It destabilizes and intensifies conflicts over land, water and food and accelerates migration. “Who undermines climate protection” Baerbock said, “puts the very existence of people, their well-being, our internal stability in Germany and Europe and global security at risk.”
The report was written by the Metis Institute for Strategy and Foresight at the Bundeswehr University of Munich, the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, the think tank Adelphi Research and the German Federal Intelligence Service.