The scientific knowledge on climate change is rapidly developing, and climate impact assessments are increasingly refined. Estimates suggest that the frequency and intensity of climate risks, e.g., droughts, floods, forest fires, extreme weather events, and sea level rise are likely to increase in all regions of the world due to global warming. While the causal link between climate change and armed conflicts is contested, there is less doubt that climate change will have severe consequences for states and societies, hence the need to address climate security concerns on national, regional and global levels of governance. Hitherto, the role of military organizations and armed forces in debates about climate security has been mostly confined to the risk of securitization and militarization in climate action, and the potential merits of “greening” the military, reducing its emissions and using its scenario planning and relief operations to build resilience in the face of a changing climate. This chapter reviews the literature on environmental and climate security and discusses the development of NATO's climate security agenda before and after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Climate change has become a critical issue in security policy and military organizations are ever more involved in handling it. Yet, little is known about how armed forces, which often possess substantial resources, are hierar-chically structured and have the capacity to exercise force, actually account for climate change and its rela-tionship to security. This article addresses the research gap by analyzing how the Swedish Armed Forces approach climate change and related security issues. The article adopts a qualitative case study research design and an analytical framework for examining climate security discourses, and finds that climate change has become institutionalized in the Swedish Armed Forces. The Swedish Armed Forces conceptualizes climate change in terms of risks and vulnerabilities, and expects the phenomenon to become increasingly critical to its activities. Data for the analysis consist of official documents, publications and public statements by senior officials in the Swedish Armed Forces.

International humanitarian non-governmental organizations play a crucial role in the early response to some of the most catastrophic effects of climate change on nature, humans, societies and states. However, there is limited knowledge about how these organizations perceive and subsequently respond to climate change and its implications for security. To address this gap, this article provides a comprehensive account of how international humanitarian non-governmental organizations conceptualize climate change and its associated risks. Methodologically, the study employs a content analysis of publications from six influential organizations between 2016 and 2022. Theoretically, it adopts a framework for analyzing climate security discourses. The article finds that the examined organizations acknowledge climate change as a critical issue, but they focus on different aspects of it. Notably, their conceptualizations of climate change and related risks are based on diverse security logics and carry significant implications for their humanitarian notions and practices more generally.

International humanitarian non-governmental organizations play a crucial role in the early response to some of the most catastrophic effects of climate change on nature, humans, societies and states. However, there is limited knowledge about how these organizations perceive and subsequently respond to climate change and its implications for security. To address this gap, this article provides a comprehensive account of how international humanitarian non-governmental organizations conceptualize climate change and its associated risks. Methodologically, the study employs a content analysis of publications from six influential organizations between 2016 and 2022. Theoretically, it adopts a framework for analyzing climate security discourses. The article finds that the examined organizations acknowledge climate change as a critical issue, but they focus on different aspects of it. Notably, their conceptualizations of climate change and related risks are based on diverse security logics and carry significant implications for their humanitarian notions and practices more generally.