Media Advisory Event Summary
Impacts of Climate Change on Human Security: What Can be done?

A media advisory event was held on October 21, 2020 by the NATO Association of Canada (NAOC) and the Climate Solutions Advancement Network (ClimateSAN) entitled “Impacts of Climate Change on Human Security: What Can be done?“.  To view a two-minute introductory video about this event, see:
To view a video recording of the full media advisory event (1 hr), see:
To view a specific segment of this one hour media advisory event, click on the start-time-code link of the selected segment below:
0:00 Land Acknowledgment
2:35 Introduction from Moderator
4:24 James Grabert, Director, Mitigation, United Nations Climate Change Secretariat, Bonn, Germany
10:38 Honorable Sherri Goodman, Secretary General of the international Military Council on Climate and Security (IMCCS)
15:59 Hon. John Conger, Director, Centre for Climate and Security (CCS)
21:16 Michael Collins, Executive Director at the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP)
27:19 Robert Baines, President and CEO of the NATO Association of Canada,
32:17 Paul Stevers, President and CEO, Think Renewables Group and Co-founder, Climate Solutions Advancement Network (ClimateSAN)
37:33 Steve Waygood, Chief Responsible Investment Officer, Aviva Investors, who is also part of the Global Investors for Sustainable Development Alliance
41:53 2021 Conference Announcement
42:57 Q&A
On October 21, 2020, leading experts representing intelligence, security and military organizations from around the world took part in an online media advisory event designed to discuss the impact of climate change on human security. Dubbed the “greatest threat to global security”, climate change is increasingly recognized as a “threat multiplier” that left unchecked has the potential to destabilize civil societies around the world. This media event, which was sponsored by the NATO Association of Canada, in partnership with Climate Solutions Advancement Network (ClimateSAN) highlighted both imminent and long-term security risks of climate change, as well as explored strategies and technologies to mitigate those risks.
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Climate experts agree on the urgent need for immediate and substantial action in order to combat climate change. What is frequently missed in the conversation, however, is the way climate change intersects with political, social and economic factors. Military institutions are becoming increasingly alarmed. According to a recent report by the International Military Council on Climate and Security, 86% of climate security and military experts surveyed perceive climate change effects on conflict within nations presents a significant or higher risk to global security in the next two decades.
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Complicating matters is the ideological and decision-making gridlock between progressive and conservative leaders. In an attempt to bridge this gap, the media advisory event, “Impacts on Climate Change Human Security: What Can Be Done?”, brought together a panel of prominent experts to discuss how military and intelligence leaders are increasingly focusing on the issue. In addition, this panel highlighted some solutions that are ready to be implemented on a global scale in order to mitigate climate change, as well as introduced a major new climate finance initiative. Speakers included:
  1. James Grabert, Director, Mitigation, United Nations Climate Change Secretariat, Bonn, Germany spoke about the urgent need for action on climate change.
  2. Honorable Sherri Goodman, Secretary General of the International Military Council on Climate and Security (IMCCS) presented highlights of The World Climate and Security Report 2020 report.
  3. Hon. John Conger, Director, Centre for Climate and Security (CCS) and part of the National Security, Military and Intelligence Panel (NSMIP) on Climate Change, discussed some key findings from the Security Threat Assessment of Global Climate Change report.
  4. Michael Collins, Executive Director at the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP) presented highlights of their recently launched “Ecological Threat Register (ETR)”.
  5. Robert Baines, President and CEO of the NATO Association of Canada, outlined how international cooperation has increased security and why much more of it will be needed in the future due to the rapidly growing impacts of climate change.
  6. Paul Stevers, President and CEO, Think Renewables Group and Co-founder, Climate Solutions Advancement Network (ClimateSAN) introduced a range of technologies that can be implemented on a global scale via a specially prepared video shown at this link: Climate Solutions That Can Be Implemented on a Global Scale.
  7. Steve Waygood, Chief Responsible Investment Officer, Aviva Investors, who is also part of the Global Investors for Sustainable Development Alliance, introduced the International Platform for Climate Finance, which is intended to mobilize the $1 trillion of new investment capital that will be required every year for the next 15 years to put the world on the path for a net-zero transition.
As a result of the success of this media advisory event with the Nato Association of Canada about climate and security, ClimateSAN is now planning a full conference on similar topics, which is expected to be held on May 18, 2021.  Both the NATO Association of Canada and the Modern War Institute (MWI) at West Point have accepted our invitation to be co-sponsors of this conference. 
For more information, see this document: Media Advisory Event Summary: Impacts of Climate Change on Human Security: What can be done? and the links provided below:
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a) Article about the head of International Energy Agency (IEA), Dr, Fatih Birol, who spoke about the urgent need for action in the next 6 months to prevent a post-lockdown surge in emissions). 
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b) Beyond the Arctic: The Strategic and National Security – Implications of Climate Change for Canada – A Monograph by MAJ Jean-François J. M. E. Lamarche, Canadian Army, School of Advanced Military Studies, US Army Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, KS, 2020.
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c) Report: The Security of Canada and Canadians: Implications of Climate Change  – A Knowledge Synthesis Research Project Funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, The University of Western Ontario.
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