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26.06.2026 10:23

New WBGU report section: "The Environment Shapes Security"

Astrid Dähn Presse- und Öffentlichkeitsarbeit
Wissenschaftlicher Beirat der Bundesregierung Globale Umweltveränderungen (WBGU) - German Advisory Council on Global Change

The current heat wave underscores once again that global environmental changes—such as climate change, but also biodiversity loss and increasing pollution—are key security risks. They endanger people, social stability, economic performance, and the ability of states to act. In its new report section, 'The Environment Shapes Security,‘ the WBGU shows that environmental protection constitutes an indispensable component of forward-looking security policy.

Berlin, 26 June 2026. Global environmental changes such as climate change, biodiversity loss and the increasing pollution of ecosystems are key security risks; they endanger people, societal stability, economic performance and the ability of states to act. It is therefore imperative that these issues be given priority in both national and international security strategies.

In its latest report section, 'The Environment Shapes Security', the WBGU shows that environmental protection serves to safeguard the provision of basic public services and therefore constitutes an indispensable component of forward-looking, interdisciplinary security policy. The Advisory Council recommends permanently incorporating environment-related threats into the work of the National Security Council and systematically integrating this issue into risk analyses alongside traditional military and economic security considerations. "Security begins with the protection of our natural life-support systems. Anyone who ignores climate risks, biodiversity loss and environmental pollution is underestimating the security-policy challenges of our time,” the WBGU emphasizes.

The report section then examines three areas of action in more detail:

1. Climate Stabilization as a Security Factor
In the WBGU's view, halting climate change and reducing global temperatures in the long term by removing CO₂ from the atmosphere are central building blocks of an integrated security architecture. “The most important prerequisite for this is to phase out the burning of fossil fuels such as coal, oil and natural gas as quickly and completely as possible,” says Hans-Otto Pörtner, climate expert at the Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research in Bremerhaven and co-author of the report. Switching the world's energy systems to renewable sources such as solar or wind power could enhance resilience and the security of supply while simultaneously expanding geostrategic room for manoeuvre.

2. Strengthening Natural Infrastructure as a Contribution to Civil Protection
The WBGU defines natural infrastructure as ecosystems that contribute to civil protection, for example by mitigating heat, purifying the air or counteracting climate change. In order to do justice to the strategic importance of these areas for security, the Advisory Council considers a number of measures to be meaningful. For example, natural infrastructure should be prioritized by law, and its protection should continue to receive ambitious financial support, not only in Germany but also within the framework of international cooperation models such as the Green Climate Fund. Furthermore, it is important to further develop comprehensive early-warning systems that prevent creeping environmental threats from curtailing ecosystem services. To mitigate risks, it is also necessary to raise public awareness of the security relevance of natural infrastructure. In this regard, it could be helpful to create incentives for people to take on voluntary roles in civil protection or to participate in citizen science projects. “Such activities reinforce our own resilience and that of our society,” says Claudia Traidl-Hoffmann, Professor and Chief Physician for Environmental Medicine at the University of Augsburg and co-author of the report section. “In my consultations with patients, I emphasize every day that a healthy, safe life is only possible with intact ecosystems.”

3. International Environmental Cooperation as a Peace-Promoting Measure
Ecosystem conservation and the joint management of natural resources can contribute to mutual understanding and peace by increasing trust between governments or individual societal groups. Such approaches should therefore be systematically expanded in development cooperation and peace-building. The WBGU advocates cooperative, inclusive ecosystem protection led by local actors, incorporating local and indigenous knowledge wherever possible. Projects should be designed in such a way that they allow both the preservation of the natural life-support systems and the sustainable use of resources and land. “Otherwise, this can easily lead to new social tensions and conflicts,” explains Aletta Bonn, Head of the Department of Biodiversity and People at the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research in Leipzig and co-author of the report section. In order to simultaneously strengthen intergovernmental or local cooperation and young people's societal responsibility, the WBGU recommends giving the 'ecological and social year' equal status to military service. “Environmental protection that contributes to security requires broad engagement from civil society,” says Bonn.

Outlook:
The report section 'The Environment Shapes Security' is the first chapter of the flagship report 'Security – Sustainable and Integrated', the WBGU's current work-in-progress. In view of the dynamic debates on security policy, the Advisory Council has decided to publish individual chapters in advance. An initial Situation report providing an overview of the flagship report's overall concept was published in March this year; further report sections will follow in the coming months.

The WGBU: Science for a Sustainable Future
The German Advisory Council on Global Change (WBGU) was set up by the German government in 1992 in the run-up to the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development ('Rio Earth Summit') as an independent scientific advisory body. Its task is to analyse global environmental and development problems and to develop recommendations for action and research aimed at solving them.

Contact:
WBGU Secretariat
Astrid Dähn, Head of Media and Public Relations
030/263948-12
astrid.daehn@wbgu.de

The complete WBGU report section 'The Environment Shapes Security' can be found at: www.wbgu.de/fr-security-chap1

For additional information on the topic, see:
WBGU Situation Assessment: Security – Sustainable and Integrated, 2026; www.wbgu.de/en/publications/publication/sicherheit-nachhaltig-und-integriert
Short paper: Security: What We Need to Talk About; 2025; www.wbgu.de/en/publications/publication/ip03-2025

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Merkmale dieser Pressemitteilung:
Journalisten, Wissenschaftler
Energie, Ernährung / Gesundheit / Pflege, Meer / Klima, Politik, Umwelt / Ökologie
überregional
Forschungs- / Wissenstransfer, Wissenschaftspolitik
Englisch

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