The UK government continues to withhold publication of a classified report examining climate-related national security threats, even as it appoints Madeleine Alessandri, the civil servant who led the report’s creation, to serve as a climate security adviser. Alessandri previously headed the UK’s joint intelligence committee and oversaw the production of the document, which identified risks including food shortages, price volatility, mass migration, and potential nuclear conflict stemming from ecosystem collapse, particularly concerning the Amazon rainforest.
The report was originally scheduled for release at a climate conference the previous year but was suppressed by the government. The Guardian subsequently disclosed its contents through a leak, and a redacted version was released earlier this year. Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband has briefed foreign governments on the findings, yet the full report remains unpublished.
At the Cop31 climate summit in Turkey this week, Prime Minister Andy Burnham declared the UK’s commitment to achieving net zero emissions by 2050 and emphasized the national security dimensions of energy independence. He argued that dependence on controlled energy sources creates vulnerability to price fluctuations, positioning clean energy as essential to security. The appointment of Alessandri and Burnham’s public statements appear designed to signal serious engagement with climate security concerns.
However, environmental advocates and industry observers express skepticism about the government’s overall commitment. They point to concurrent policy decisions that conflict with climate objectives, including approval of the Jackdaw gasfield, reductions in heat pump funding, consideration of the Rosebank oilfield, loosening of electric vehicle sales mandates, and support for a third runway at Heathrow Airport. Senior insiders report that major climate-related decisions are being made in isolation without consideration of cumulative impacts, and note the absence of a dedicated climate adviser in the Prime Minister’s office.
Senior government figures, including Chancellor John Healey and Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds, are perceived to prioritize economic growth potentially at the expense of climate goals. However, the Prime Minister’s supporters, including International Energy Agency Executive Director Fatih Birol, assert that Burnham genuinely supports clean energy transition and electrification as pathways to both climate action and cost-of-living relief.
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