Climate change will “quadruple” the likelihood of conflict over scarce resources, the EU’s climate chief has warned.
Wopke Hoekstra told the Financial Times that he had been contacted by senior military staff over the past year wanting to “compare notes” on how rising sea levels, droughts, floods and wildfires affect military activities, as well as the potential for migration and resource scarcity to fuel conflict.
“Climate change and its effects have crystal clear direct and indirect effects on geopolitics, on safety and security,” Hoekstra said, ahead of a speech on climate and security at the European Policy Centre economic security forum on Thursday.