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Center for American Progress Center for American Progress
Projects Climate · Migration · Security

The intersection of climate change, human migration, and conflict presents a unique challenge for US foreign policy in the 21st century. These three factors are already beginning to combine in ways that undermine traditional understandings of national security and demand a rethink of traditional divisions between diplomacy, defense, and economic, social and environmental development policy abroad. Addressing this nexus—of climate change, migration, and conflict—will be a core challenge of this century. As the number of migrants, driven in part by environmental degradation, continues to grow, the adaptive capacity of states worldwide will be strained, and new security gaps will appear in which non-state actors have the potential to flourish. Addressing this challenge will require understanding, preparation, and new models of regional cooperation.

Climate Change, Migration, and SecurityClimate Change, Migration, Security
An array of experts discusses the need for a new approach to solving these overlapping problems.
The Arc of TensionThe Arc of Tension
This series of maps illustrates the overlapping challenges of climate, migration, and security in northwestern Africa.

Reports

Huts in a drying desert Climate Change, Migration, and Conflict in Northwest Africa: Michael Werz and Laura Conley track how the overlays and intersections of climate change, migration, and security create an arc of tension in Northwest Africa comprising Nigeria, Niger, Algeria, and Morocco.

climate_migration_thumb.jpg Climate Change, Migration, and Conflict: Growing evidence of links between climate change, migration, and conflict raise plenty of reasons for concern and it’s time to start thinking about new answers to these multifaceted crisis scenarios, write Michael Werz and Laura Conley.

Featured Content

Global Warning: John Podesta and Peter Ogden contribute a chapter on the security challenges of climate change to the new report, "The Age of Consequences."

Leon Panetta Panetta: ‘Climate Change Has a Dramatic Impact on National Security’: Defense Secretary Leon Panetta expressed concern about the defense and development impacts of climate change at a recent Environmental Defense Fund event, writes Arpita Bhattacharyya.

somali family United Nations Misses Broader Climate Change Connection: Laura Conley and Michael Werz deconstruct the final statement on climate change and human security issued earlier this week by the U.N. Security Council.

oil-polluted water Nigeria’s Multifaceted Problems Challenge U.S. Policy: Nigeria’s quickly changing demographics are playing host to challenges ranging from environmental degradation to internal conflict, write Andrew Sweet and Michael Werz.

child with malaria Climate Is a Security Issue: Recent Defense Department reports show that the agency is not yet speaking with one voice on climate security like it should be, writes Laura Conley.

dennis blair Quadrennial Defense Review Should Spark Interagency Climate Conversation : The Pentagon’s QDR was a critical step toward comprehensive approaches to climate change, but we should see more of this action in the future, write Michael Werz and Kari Manlove.

african migrants Climate Change on the Move: The United States should use a sustainable security framework to deal with the challenges climate migration poses, write Michael Werz and Kari Manlove.

Staff

Michael Werz
Senior Fellow

Sarah Margon
Associate Director for Sustainable Security

Arpita Bhattacharyya
Research Assistant

Max Hoffman
Special Assistant

Partner Projects

Redefining how we think about national security.

Research