Disaster Alley

Climate change is a present and growing driver of political instability, conflict, and humanitarian crisis. This sobering analysis makes the case that Australia and the wider Asia–Pacific region are on the front lines—and dangerously unprepared.

Climate Change, Conflict, and Security Risk

The intersection of climate change, conflict, and risk presents an escalating existential threat requiring sound risk management. This report examines how warming is already dangerous and rapidly accelerating, with critical systems nearing or breaching tipping points—from coral reefs to polar ice sheets.

This report outlines the stark implications for political and economic stability, especially in the Asia–Pacific region, where humanitarian disasters, forced migration, and conflict are likely to intensify. It warns that Australia, sitting in this “disaster alley,” is failing to prepare adequately for the threats ahead.

With institutional responses falling short, Disaster Alley calls for a bold, non-partisan leadership initiative to drive emergency decarbonisation of the Australian economy. It urges a full-scale mobilisation based on realistic risk assessments and the protection of human security, both nationally and globally.

The report’s foreword is written by Sherri Goodman, Secretary General of the International Military Council on Climate & Security and a former U.S. Deputy Undersecretary of Defense. Goodman is known for coining the term “threat multiplier” to describe the security risks of climate change.

In her foreword, Goodman emphasises that climate change now poses a direct threat to national and global security. She describes Disaster Alley as a critical risk assessment and urges policymakers to treat climate disruption as an urgent strategic priority.