North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)

NATO recognises that it faces many environmental challenges, particularly due to the risks posed by climate change, and has been acting on these challenges for many years.

According to the NATO website article on “Environment, climate change and security” key milestones in the last few years include the following:

In 2021, NATO adopted an ambitious Climate Change and Security Action Plan to mainstream climate change considerations into NATO’s political and military agenda.

NATO’s 2022 Strategic Concept – the Alliance’s core policy document, which guides NATO’s strategy over the coming years – highlights climate change as a defining challenge of our time, with a profound impact on Allied security. It states that NATO should become the leading international organisation when it comes to understanding and adapting to the impact of climate change on security.

At the 2023 NATO Summit in Vilnius, Allies welcomed the establishment of a NATO Centre of Excellence (COE) for Climate Change and Security in Montreal, Canada. The COE was accredited in May 2024.

Also in 2024, NATO published the third edition of its Climate Change & Security Impact Assessment - The NATO Secretary General's report.