The United Kingdom has presented findings from a joint intelligence committee report to foreign ministers from EU nations, Kenya, and other countries, warning that climate change and ecological collapse represent major threats to national security. The presentation, delivered by Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband during a private meeting at the UN general assembly in New York, outlined risks including ecosystem collapse in regions such as the Amazon and Congo rainforests, intensifying food and water insecurity, and potential migration and economic disruption across borders.
Miliband emphasized that an approaching El Niño event, amplified by climate breakdown, would test global food systems with unprecedented intensity. He stated that the convergence of heatwaves, poor harvests, and food price inflation demonstrated the immediate challenges ahead and stressed that climate and nature issues must be addressed at the highest governmental levels as matters of national security and foreign policy, not solely by environmental ministers.
The intelligence report in question was originally scheduled for publication last October but was suppressed by government officials before its release. A redacted version was subsequently issued in January following a Freedom of Information Act request, though the full report remains unpublished. Security experts have argued that governments should treat climate threats with the same priority as traditional security challenges, noting that infrastructure damage from environmental factors carries equivalent consequences regardless of cause.
In response to the findings, Miliband announced plans to establish a new special representative position for climate security and create a ministerial taskforce to address national security and resilience risks from climate change and nature loss. The UK also pledged £330 million to the Global Environment Facility to support forest and ocean protection in developing countries. Green Party MP Adrian Ramsay called for full public disclosure of the report, questioning why the government has not released comprehensive details of its response to the findings.
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