Climate change poses a massive threat to German security, a major intelligence report said on Wednesday.
The 77-page study, compiled on behalf of the Foreign Office by a group of scientists and Germany’s foreign intelligence service (BND), argued that climate change could lead to economic losses, political instability and an increase in migration.
BND President Bruno Kahl wrote that climate change must be considered one of the “five major external threats” to Germany, alongside Russia, China, terrorism and cyberattacks.
Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said climate change must be taken into account when identifying threats to security.
“Every tenth of a degree less of global warming makes our lives safer,” said Baerbock.
The report suggested that large-scale crop failures and resulting price shocks are causing scarcities of resources, forcing more people to migrate.
A subsequent increase in armed conflicts and rise in the number of militant groups could eventually threaten German and European security.
The study warns that economic growth could be harmed by the costs of climate change. However, measures taken to address the issue, such as carbon pricing, can also become “targets for populism, left-wing extremism and right-wing extremism.”
Southern European countries are likely to be hit hard by the consequences of climate change, which could produce political instability and weaken the cohesion of the European Union, the report suggests.
Baerbock called for further action to protect the global climate.
“Anyone who lets climate protection slide is threatening people’s livelihoods, their prosperity and our internal stability,” she told dpa. “As a society, we cannot afford to expose ourselves to such climate security risks.”
