NATO Discusses Climate Change Defense with Students from Allied Countries

Jens Stoltenberg in 2014 (Flickr)

Jens Stoltenberg in 2014 (Flickr)

Jens Stoltenberg, the Security General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), hosted a virtual discussion with university students about the security implications of climate change on September 28. Students present at the discussion represented schools including Georgetown University, University of Exeter, University of Deusto, Carleton University, University of Copenhagen, University of Warsaw, Luiss Guido Carli University, the Institute of Higher National Defense Studies, Heidelberg University, and the Baltic Defense College. Stoltenberg argued that climate change is making the world more dangerous, and he advocated for an ambitious approach towards solutions.

Stoltenberg has a history of environmental work—his first job in government was as the Deputy Minister for the Environment in Norway, and he later worked as the UN Special Envoy on Climate Change. He now wants Allied countries to take on the issue of climate change in the NATO 2030 plan, which is a plan to strengthen the Alliance over the next decade. The virtual discussion last Monday followed his op-ed, released the previous day, on why NATO should combat climate change.

Stoltenberg says there are three main reasons to combat climate change—climate change makes the world more dangerous, climate change makes it harder for the military to keep people safe, and it is our responsibility to combat climate change.

In terms of the military, Stoltenberg said, “This summer [in Iraq], temperatures in Baghdad soared above 50 degrees Centigrade. That’s over 120 degrees Fahrenheit. Just imagine being in that heat—let alone wearing full combat gear! It quickly becomes impossible for anybody to function. And it’s not only people that don’t work properly in extremes. It’s equipment too.” He describes UK helicopter engines in Afghanistan that had to be replaced because they could not handle the heat.

Stoltenberg also said, “Climate change doesn’t only affect how we operate, but also where we operate. Much of our critical infrastructure is exposed.” As an example, he cited a naval base in Norfolk, Virginia and ports in Rotterdam, Antwerp, and Hamburg that face problems of flooding.

NATO already has some institutions in place to help combat climate change. For instance, NATO’s Green Defence framework encourages countries to use solar panels in military gear and experiment with hydrogen fuel cells. In addition, NATO’s Disaster Response Centre has been responding to COVID-19. 

Stoltenberg does not want to create new institutions, but rather use what NATO has so far to further our efforts and preparations against climate problems. In order to protect ourselves, Stoltenberg believes we need to make sure our uniforms, vehicles, equipment, infrastructure, energy, and telecommunications are prepared for natural disasters. He also wants NATO to recognize the net zero carbon emission goal many countries have set for 2050 and to contribute to that goal as much as possible.

 “A first step could be for NATO to help members of our Alliance to calculate the specific carbon output of their militaries. And then to report those figures,” said Stoltenberg. “The next step could be to consider voluntary targets for Allies to progressively cut those emissions.”

He believes that we need to protect the future of the planet and is optimistic about doing so. He also believes that NATO’s efforts against climate change can be a good example for the rest of the world and is “the ideal vehicle for sharing information, ideas and expertise.”  

“Fundamentally, I am an optimist, because the world and humankind has been able to address so many other challenges,” said Stoltenberg. For instance, we have mostly removed the emissions that cause ozone depletion and acid rain. However, Stoltenberg made it clear that he is not optimistic that we can prevent climate change because it is already happening; he is only optimistic that we can intervene to prevent more catastrophe. 

However, many students seemed to be concerned with Russia, China, and the United States. They asked questions regarding China’s rising strength and the aggression of Russia causing a global shift in power. Some students were also worried about the lack of consensus within Allies on the importance of climate change, particularly with the United States. 

Stoltenberg addressed the United States with a message. He said, “a strong NATO is good for Europe, but it is also good for the United States.” Students were also concerned that the United States might withdraw from NATO, to which Stoltenberg replied, “it is good for the United States to have friends.” 

Because of the internal divide within NATO Allies on climate change, a student from Heidelberg University remarked that “one easily gets the impression that NATO still lacks concrete institutional structures or recommendations for action.” 

Stoltenberg responded, “The beauty of that is that you can be concerned about reducing the use of fossil fuels, not necessarily because you’re concerned about climate change… for purely military reasons, we should look into how solar panels, biofuels, hydrogen fuel cells and [that] can power more of our operations, because that will make them less vulnerable. The supply of fossil fuels has always been a great challenge and dangerous operations for military operations.”

Although almost all of the students believed that NATO should have a role in combating climate change, only 37 percent agreed with Stoltenberg that we should be ambitious. 

Science & TechnologyAlexa AschComment