Former security leaders welcome Climate Change Minister addition

The Australian Security Leaders Climate Group has welcomed Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s addition of the Climate Change Minister to the National Security Committee of Cabinet. Former Defence Force Chief and Executive Member of the Group, Admiral Chris Barrie (Ret’d), said this addition to the powerful National Security Committee shows the Albanese Government understands that climate change is a significant, material threat to global, human and national security. “Experts have long warned that climate change threatens global security. Rising temperatures caused by climate change are causing greater food and water insecurity and seeing more severe and frequent extreme weather events, including droughts, floods and fires,” Barrie said. “We have seen time and again how these climate-fuelled changes can lead to social unrest, mass migration and conflict, threatening global security. It is a positive step that the Climate Change Minister will bring a climate perspective to Cabinet’s National Security Committee. The next pressing task is to begin a transparent and comprehensive risk assessment of climate-security threats led by our country’s top experts, inside and outside of government. “It is important that such an assessment addresses the broad risks, to human, national and regional water and food security, and Pacific development, for example, and not be seen as just the domain of the defence and intelligence sectors,” Barrie said. “We must properly understand the risks we face in order to best respond.” For Editorial Inquiries Contact: Editor Kym Bergmann at [email protected] For Advertising Inquiries Contact: Director of Sales Graham Joss at [email protected]