Climate change poses a ‘direct threat’ to Australia’s national security. It must be a political priority

It is evident from Australia’s increasingly severe droughts and record-breaking heatwaves that time is running out to take action on climate change.

Climate change is expected to increase the severity of natural disasters in the
Asia-Pacific region, straining Australia’s ability to respond through humanitarian
 missions and fuelling more climate migration. 

And we aren’t just facing an environmental threat alone in Australia – there are significant implications for our national security and defence capabilities that we haven’t fully reckoned with either.

This point was made abundantly clear in a speech prepared for Defence Force Chief Angus Campbell at an event in June, excerpts of which have been recently published by the media. It noted that Australia is in:

the most natural disaster-prone region in the world … [and] climate change is predicted to make disasters more extreme and more common.

If the predictions are correct, [climate change] will have serious ramifications for global security and serious ramifications for the ADF [Australian Defence Force].

Read the story from The Conversation by an Honorary Professor, Strategic and Defence Studies Centre from the  Australian National University, Chris Barrie -   “Climate change poses a ‘direct threat’ to Australia’s national security. It must be a political priority.”