This book offers a prospective analysis of the anticipated security consequences of climate
change in relation to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Using climate and security
literature to complement recent foresight and scenario analysis developed by NATO the author
applies the International Risk Governance Council¿s (IRGC) Risk Governance Framework to
identify the considerations and actions that could assist NATO in a context where climate and
environmental factors more intensively shape security. Tyler Lippert explores how climate
change has the potential to increase the need for humanitarian assistance and disaster response
to create tension over shared resources to renew and enhance geo-political interest in the
Arctic and to deepen concern with respect to the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). Within
this new political and environmental reality NATO must consider how to adapt to meet new
demands prepare for new security challenges as well as manage unforeseen consequences.
Offering a corrective this book identifies near-term actions for NATO to improve its risk
governance posture providing a basis upon which longer-range policy considerations can be
developed. This analysis is only the opening salvo of what is likely to be a complicated
process that spans many years if not decades. However in mapping the risk governance
dimensions to the security and climate nexus from the perspective of NATO Lippert provides a
foundation for risk-based policy planning for NATO. The book will be of immense value to policy
and decision makers: NATO leadership and its affiliated organizations as well as to academics
across a broad span of subject areas particularly environmental sociology defense and foreign
policy and the political sciences.
