Summary
Reorienting Australian Security Policy for Climate Risk
Accelerating climate disruption is the defining threat of our time, demanding that Australia re-centre its defence and foreign policy accordingly. This report argues that while global alliances are in flux and Australia has deepened its strategic alignment through AUKUS, the most profound risks to national security arise not from traditional military threats but from systemic climate destabilisation. With global temperatures already reaching 1.5°C and key climate systems at risk, this report outlines how escalating warming will drive food insecurity, economic instability, displacement, conflict, and state failure across the region—impacts that are cascading, borderless, and deeply interconnected.
This report proposes a climate-first framework grounded in human security and emergency-level international cooperation. It calls for the full integration of climate risk into defence and strategic planning, mandated climate security assessments, and strengthened diplomatic leadership in high-ambition climate alliances—including the phase-out of fossil fuel subsidies and coordinated regional economic mobilisation. The report also emphasises deeper cooperation across Asia, expanded climate finance for vulnerable nations, and the development of international legal mechanisms to address climate displacement. Together, these measures outline a pathway for Australia to shift from a narrow geopolitics-driven security posture toward one centred on climate stability, regional cooperation, and long-term human security.
Sao Paulo, SP, Brazil – January 15, 2014: People walk along a flooded street after heavy rains hit Vila Itaim neighborhood area.
Climate change is a threat multiplier to humanity that demands a whole-of-society response. If Australia recognises this reality it would be placed, inter alia, at the leading edge of innovation and competitiveness in the advanced energy economies that are rapidly evolving in China and elsewhere in Asia.
report
A Climate-First Foreign Policy For Australia
Climate disruption demands urgent reorientation of Australian foreign and security policy priorities.
About the Authors
Chris Barrie
Former Defence Chief and Security Advocate
Ex-ADF leader highlighting climate threats, national security risks and policy urgency.
Neil Greet
Climate Security Analyst and Advisor
Retired colonel assessing defence implications, environmental instability and strategic planning challenges.
Cheryl Durrant
Climate Security Analyst and Defence Strategist
Former military leader specialising preparedness, resilience and climate risk integration strategies.
Ian Dunlop
Energy Expert and Strategic Advisor
Former executive advising decarbonisation, resource constraints and systemic economic transition risks.
Contributors
David Spratt
Research Director and Climate Analyst
Author examining existential threats, policy failures and urgent mitigation requirements globally.
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