Anchored in Action: Operationalizing NATO's Climate Security Plan in the Arctic Maritime Domain
Publisher: Arctic Institute
Author(s): Pauline Baudu and Fabio Lissi
Date: 2025
Topics: Climate Change, Extractive Resources, Governance, Weapons, Waste, and Pollution
Countries: Canada, China, Finland, Greenland, Iceland, Russian Federation, Spain, Sweden, Ukraine, United Kingdom
Since 2021 and until recently, NATO has bolstered its commitment to addressing the security implications of climate change, demonstrated by the release of foundational guiding documents, and by the development of specialized capabilities and institutional support to integrate climate considerations into its core missions. NATO’s climate ambitions are specifically enshrined in its Climate Change and Security Action Plan along four main pillars: enhancing Allied awareness of the security implications of climate change, advancing climate adaptation across all dimensions of NATO’s work, contributing to mitigating climate change by reducing military emissions, and enhancing outreach and collaboration with other relevant actors. These advancements provide a vital framework for understanding and addressing the complex interplay between climate change and NATO’s strategic and operational environment.