Stormy Weather: International Security in the Shadow of Climate Change

As humankind approaches an increase of 1˚C in the average global temperature compared to the pre-industrialized era, ongoing climate change is already altering the natural systems that support human societies all around the world. Unless effectively mitigated in the near future, an unfettered climate change will drive global dynamics that could transform entire world regions. The radical changes of natural environments that are expected to follow from an unmitigated global warming would be without precedent in human history and it would thus be highly questionable if local authorities, national governments, regional organizations, and international agencies were capable of peacefully steering the resulting social and economic consequences. Indeed, if global average temperatures continue to rise beyond 2 or 3˚C this would imply a historical global experiment with unknown outcomes. The restriction of global warming and its effects should thus be a central concern of forwardlooking world politics. As elaborated below, sustainable global development and international stability depend on the successful mitigation of climate change as well as on the effective management of its unavoidable consequences.