Defence and climate change – Challenges and opportunities for Danish defence and security policy

The Background Paper “Defence and climate change – Challenges and opportunities for Danish defence and security policy” describes climate change and how climate change affects the conditions for Danish defence and security policy. On this background, the Background Paper outlines a number of policy initiatives that can help equip the Danish Armed Forces to counter the challenges of climate change – both at home and abroad.

Climate change and the coming Danish Defence Agreement
Climate change is an indispensable part of the political agenda, which will set the framework for future defence agreements. This Background Paper gives suggestions to how the Danish defence could prepare itself for a future faced with the effects of climate change. In a long-term perspective, the Danish Armed Forces should examine how the effects of climate change will likely affect future operational scenarios and how the Danish Armed Forces can adapt.

Challenges and opportunities in Danish defence and security policy
The Background Paper identifies a number of challenges and opportunities in Danish defence and security policy resulting from climate changes. It suggests the establishment of a climate security commission that can cover implications for defence and security policy as well as the development of a climate change strategy for defence and security policy for Denmark and the Kingdom of Denmark. The Background Paper also points to the importance of covering new opportunities for how climate change can be a catalyst for peaceful cooperation in the Arctic as well as in other parts of the world in which Danish forces operate.

The Background Paper is authored by Military Analyst Jens Wenzel Kristoffersen.

Read the Background Paper here.