<
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/sep/23/uk-climate-crisis-national-security-report-suppressed-starmer-ed-miliband>
"The UK has warned countries around the world that the climate and nature
crises and the coming El Niño threaten their national security and defence,
presenting foreign ministries with the findings of a report suppressed under
Keir Starmer.
Ed Miliband, the UK’s foreign secretary, made a presentation to the foreign
ministers of the EU as well as Kenya and other countries on Wednesday night at
a private meeting during the UN general assembly in New York, based on the
report by the UK’s spy chiefs that found the collapse of natural systems around
the world would lead to conflict, migration and food shortages.
Miliband told the meeting, the first such discussion among foreign ministers,
that the coming El Niño, which has been supercharged by climate breakdown,
would test the world’s food systems as never before.
“We face an El Niño that is already set to be the most intense in living
memory,” he said. “This will intensify climate shocks that compound and cascade
across borders, threatening food and water security, displacing communities,
putting pressure on markets and scarring economies.”
This year’s heatwaves, bad harvests and food price inflation showed governments
what they were in for, he said, and must be dealt with at the highest levels.
“Climate change and nature loss have never been issues for climate and
environment ministers alone,” he said. “They are defining challenges for our
citizens, our economies, our foreign policy and our national security.”
With the backing of Andy Burnham, the UK prime minister, Miliband presented the
research that found the collapse of global ecosystems such as in the Amazon and
Congo rainforests, driven by the climate crisis and the destruction of nature,
would have impacts on national security around the world.
The joint intelligence committee (JIC) report, revealed by the
Guardian, was
scheduled to be published last October, but was suppressed on the eve of its
launch by Downing Street. A redacted version was issued in January under the
Freedom of Information Act, but ministers have continued to resist calls for
the full report to be made public.
Richard Nugee, a retired general and security expert, told the
Guardian
governments must treat the climate as they would other threats to national
security, such as sabotage by hostile states.
“If a bridge is washed away, it has the same impact whether it’s done by [a
foreign power] or the climate,” he said. “The climate crisis will affect food
security, energy security, water security, and lead to migration and
potentially the recruitment of farmers to [terrorist organisations such as]
Isis. Countries should absolutely be treating this as a national security
issue.”"
Via Susan ****
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
