The impact of climate change on national security

Add to Calendar 2024-10-09 18:00:00 2024-10-09 20:00:00 The impact of climate change on national security The ANU National Security College, in partnership with the Australian Security Leaders Climate Group and the Embassy of The Kingdom of the Netherlands, hosted a public lecture and panel discussion on Wednesday 9 October, featuring General (Retired) Tom Middendorp AO. The discussion explored key themes from General Middendorp’s book The Climate General: Stepping up the fight, which examines the critical link between climate change and national security. Drawing on his extensive military experience, Middendorp analysed how climate impacts security, military operations, and global stability, and provided insights on how to adapt and mitigate these challenges. General Middendorp was joined by Admiral (Retired) Chris Barrie AC, Cheryl Durrant and Dr Sophie Lewis, who brought their perspectives on the climate change impact on reshaping security strategies. The panel was chaired by NSC’s Academic Director, Associate Professor Danielle Ireland-Piper. This timely conversation addressed the confluence of climate security and the military and the implications for policy and decision-making. This event was released as an episode of the National Security Podcast. Event recording Weston Theatre, JG Crawford Building #132 1 Lennox Crossing Acton, ACT 2601 ANU COLLEGE OF ASIA & THE PACIFIC cap.web@anu.edu.au Australia/Sydney public

Bushfires below Stacks Bluff, Tasmania, Australia — Photo by Matt Palmer on Unsplash

This public lecture and panel discussion examined the critical link between climate change and national security.

The ANU National Security College, in partnership with the Australian Security Leaders Climate Group and the Embassy of The Kingdom of the Netherlands, hosted a public lecture and panel discussion on Wednesday 9 October, featuring General (Retired) Tom Middendorp AO.

The discussion explored key themes from General Middendorp’s book The Climate General: Stepping up the fight, which examines the critical link between climate change and national security. Drawing on his extensive military experience, Middendorp analysed how climate impacts security, military operations, and global stability, and provided insights on how to adapt and mitigate these challenges.

General Middendorp was joined by Admiral (Retired) Chris Barrie AC, Cheryl Durrant and Dr Sophie Lewis, who brought their perspectives on the climate change impact on reshaping security strategies. The panel was chaired by NSC’s Academic Director, Associate Professor Danielle Ireland-Piper.

This timely conversation addressed the confluence of climate security and the military and the implications for policy and decision-making. This event was released as an episode of the National Security Podcast.

Event recording

Event Speakers

Danielle Ireland-Piper

Associate Professor and Academic Director

Danielle Ireland-Piper is the Academic Director and Associate Professor at the National Security College, Australian National University.

General (Retired) Tom Middendorp AO

General (Retired) Middendorp AO is the Chair of the International Military Council on Climate and Security and a Senior Visiting Fellow at Clingendael Research Institute and the Hague Center for Strategic Studies. He was the Netherlands’ Chief of Defence between 2012-2017.

Admiral Chris Barrie AC

Chris Barrie retired in 2002 after 42 years in the RAN, ending in four years of service as the Chief of the Defence Force (CDF). Since then, he has worked on strategic leadership issues as consultant, teacher and mentor at Oxford University, the National Defense University in Washington DC and at the Australian National University.

Cheryl Durrant

Cheryl Durrant is the Former Director of Preparedness and Mobilisation, Australian Department of Defence. In this capacity Cheryl led the climate risk scenario development for the Australian Interdepartmental Secretaries’ Group on Climate Risk and she was also the Defence partner with the Australian National Resilience Taskforce’s Disaster Vulnerability Profiling Project.

Dr Sophie Lewis

Dr Sophie Lewis is the ACT Commissioner for Sustainability and the Environment. Her most recent role was as a climate scientist at the University of NSW Canberra. She was also a lead author on Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change reports, which are used worldwide to develop policies around climate change and was named as the 2019 ACT Scientist of the Year.