Across the world, the global community is seeing extreme weather events wreak havoc, leaving a trail of destruction and displacement.
Last summer, floods in Pakistan destroyed over 2,200 homes and claimed hundreds of lives. This past year alone, similar climate-induced catastrophes — from droughts in Sudan and flooding in Afghanistan to wildfires in Chile and Hurricane Helene in the United States — underscore an urgent truth: climate change is a grave security threat.
The climate crisis is not a future concern. It is here now, and it is destabilizing communities, disrupting economies, fueling conflicts, and driving mass displacement of people.
I was privileged to serve the United States at the highest levels of national security and have seen firsthand the cascading impacts of such disasters. Through my experience sitting in the Situation Room, I have seen that the current climate crisis poses a grave threat to global security – not the people being forced to move for their survival as climate change reshapes our world.
Governments must prepare for continued climate migration. When millions of people are forced to abandon their homes due to extreme weather, the consequences ripple within and beyond borders.
National security leaders cannot afford to sit idly by. That is why I am a member of the Climate Migration Council, a group of leaders committed to putting people at the center of climate action and accelerating global solutions. The Council’s recent Position Statement on Security and Climate Mobility underscores the urgency of finding solutions as our climate changes dramatically. These changes come with dangerous impacts to global security, in what experts at the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute call pathways of climate insecurity. Worsening livelihood conditions, tactical considerations by armed groups, exploitation by elites and resource mismanagement, and increasing migration and changing mobility patterns all threaten to create instability and undermine governance structures.
Climate displacement in particular is reshaping entire regions — whether in small island nations like Tuvalu, on the brink of submersion due to rising sea levels, or in the Horn of Africa, where droughts and food insecurity leave millions with few options but to move.
Climate migration is not a distant phenomenon for the United States, either. In fact, increasingly frequent wildfires and floods are forcing many Americans to relocate — a reality for the thousands of people currently displaced from their homes in Los Angeles. According to the U.S. Census Bureau data, more than three million U.S. adults were displaced or evacuated due to natural disasters in 2022. Alaska, where temperatures are rising twice as fast as the global average, faces imminent land collapse in 31 villages from reduced ice coverage, threatening entire Indigenous communities.
This internal displacement affects the security of people, communities, and countries – from resource competition to increased crime to economic instability.
The conclusion is clear: national security leaders must refine and expand our understanding of “security” to encompass climate-related risks and discern the ways migration can be an adaptive solution to the climate crisis. Extreme weather is not an isolated issue confined to environmental discussions. It is a powerful driver or exacerbator of instability, poverty, conflict, and, ultimately, migration.
When people can no longer survive where they are, they move. This is an inherent part of the human DNA and in line with our historical nature. But when large-scale movement is mismanaged, it can destabilize entire communities, giving rise to violence, fueling recruitment for extremist groups, and overburdening governance systems that are ill-prepared for such influxes.
We’ve seen this story play out. In Central America’s Dry Corridor, a region where climate-induced droughts and floods are devastating agriculture, migration is on the rise. Farmers, whose livelihoods depend on rain-fed crops, face increasing hardship as weather patterns grow more unpredictable, and many are forced to leave their homes behind and move to new places in search for climate-resilient economic opportunities.
Without coordinated efforts to anticipate, prepare for, and respond to climate displacement, the global consequences will continue to escalate and deepen tensions. I propose a multi-faceted response that addresses the root causes of climate migration while leveraging opportunities that can be unlocked at the local, national, and multilateral level.
First, governments must support flexible, humane migration pathways that allow people to move safely, orderly, and with dignity. For many, the decision to leave isn’t a choice — it is a necessity for survival. These trends are amplified by weak governance, crime, and corruption, creating a volatile environment that drives both migration and instability.
Second, governments must invest in local resilience — whether through early-warning systems, infrastructure development, or financial support for displaced communities — which can reduce pressure on strained resources and prevent the humanitarian crises that often accompany large-scale displacement. The recent $300 billion climate finance commitment negotiated by countries at the 2024 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Baku should help unlock the necessary funding to build this resilience. Foreign aid from industrialized nations has been historically critical to mitigating climate change as a driver of displacement. And it is cost-effective, as studies show that every one dollar spent on climate resilience and preparedness can save up to $13 in damages, cleanup costs, and economic impacts.
Third, governments must recognize the nexus between climate change and security at the national and multilateral level, and exercise increased global collaboration. The changing climate is undermining peace and stability, and it is imperative that security institutions are properly equipped to recognize and address this challenge. So far, efforts to deem climate change a “threat multiplier” to international peace and security at the United Nations Security Council have failed. But we cannot afford to allow the current global geopolitical deadlock to leave us unprepared to act when our own defense is at risk.
Finally, governments must incorporate climate change mitigation into every aspect of national security. Every degree of warming prevented can reduce the future burden on governments, militaries, and humanitarian organizations. By doubling down on efforts to reduce emissions, governments can limit the scope of the impacts of climate displacement before they spiral out of control.
The recent spate of extreme weather events is a stark reminder that the climate crisis is a present reality that demands immediate action. Leaders across sectors must recognize climate change for what it is: a national and global security challenge that requires proactive, coordinated responses.
As a national security leader, I know that crisis is the cost of inaction. It is time to build a more resilient, sustainable future — one that anticipates and mitigates the climate drivers of displacement and accommodates the movement of people displaced by climate change in an approach that respects their dignity.
I urge my colleagues, policymakers, and citizens alike to join me in pushing for solutions that put global security at the center of climate action. The goal must be the protection of people, the defense of our security, and the future stability of our world.