GMACCC Report: Climate Change Threatens South Asian Stability
A new Global Military Advisory Council on Climate Change Report “Climate Change & Security In South Asia: Cooperating For Peace” by Lt. General Tariq Waseem Ghazi (Ret.) of Pakistan, Maj. General A.N.M. Muniruzzaman (Ret.) of Bangladesh, and Air Marshall A.K. Singh (Ret.) of India warns that unless measures are taken to address the threat of climate change, it could destabilize the South Asian region.
GMACCC is ‘a global network of serving and retired military officers, and associated institutions, committed to highlighting the potential security implications of a changing climate and advocating action, including by the military, to minimize the risks ‘. ASP has worked with GMACCC for many years as an institutional member, and ASP’s CEO, B.Gen. Stephen Cheney USMC (Ret.), is a member of GMACC. In the past, they have published “Climate Change & Security in Africa: Clear Risks, Nuanced Impacts” and “Climate Change: Implications For Defence”.
ClimateWire wrote about the study in “Climate Impacts Could Ignite Violence, Military Leaders Say” (paywalled). ASP Senior Fellow Andrew Holland comments that in a region already affected by food and water insecurity, population displacement and weak disaster management infrastructure, “You add climate change to the mix and it’s kind of this classic threat multiplier. It takes all of these other problems and makes them worse.”
The report’s recommendation for the region’s leaders strengthen cooperation demonstrates the widespread acceptance of climate change as a security threat, as “This is something that militaries around the world are working on,” says Holland.
