Climate-related security risks Iraq and Mali: What the EU can do

For over a decade the EU has shown an interest in mitigating climate-related security risks, but this has rarely translated into effective policies. Iraq and Mali provide examples of how EU missions, policies and related financial instruments could be adjusted to take due account of the climate-security nexus. There is ample opportunity to include this nexus into ongoing programmes, which would also strengthen other EU foreign policy objectives in the fields of security, migration, development and climate adaptation. As several countries close to the EU are highly vulnerable to climate-related insecurity, a more explicit approach to address this issue and more dedicated funding programmes are crucial. 

This policy brief gives a succinct overview of how the climate-security nexus arrived on the EU's political agenda, its relevance in two cases of political priority – Iraq and Mali – and how EU external action policies and instruments could help reduce climate-related security risks.

For the French version of this policy brief 'Que peut faire l’UE? Les risques de sécurité liés au climat en Irak et au Mali' click here.