Climate change affects our everyday lives, but many aspects of the subject are yet to be widely explored. For example, the impact of the defence sector on the environment, and vice versa, is relatively uncharted territory.
EUROMIL, the European Organisation of Military Associations and Trade Unions, was founded in September 1972 and today comprises 33 member and observer associations from 20 European countries. Our primary goal is the respect for, and application of, human rights and fundamental freedoms in, but also by, armed forces in Europe. EUROMIL also works to improve the living and working conditions of military personnel. As a result, climate change has been part of our agenda for quite some time, as it is important for armed forces to understand the implications of climate change to adapt and mitigate the effect of their activities on the environment.
Climate change affects the security and stability of a territory, while the efficiency of military operations is also at stake. Both the European Union and NATO have recognised climate change as a threat multiplier and are working towards energy efficient forces, while successfully carrying on military missions, operations and training.
The severe consequences of climate change are most evident in Africa and the Middle East, where resource scarcity is leading to an uptick in conflicts. We are also seeing the impact of climate change in the Arctic, where melting ice and extreme weather conditions pose significant challenges. In response, NATO is already exploring ways for military personnel to be able to defend, fight and survive in an Arctic environment through its Cold Response exercises. And in Ukraine, the use of missiles, tanks and heavy weaponry is having a catastrophic impact on the environment.
Climate change not only affects the health and efficiency of soldiers during missions and operations, but military personnel are often deployed by states and governments to assist during natural catastrophes and extreme weather events. However, soldiers rarely have the proper equipment to respond to such challenges.
On the opposite side of the coin, militaries are huge emitters and in order to become more operationally and energy efficient, their environmental footprint must be reduced. Governments do not generally report the emissions of their military, but this trend is beginning to change. NATO secretary general, Jens Stoltenberg, announced during the 2022 NATO Public Forum (which brought together various stakeholders to discuss the future of the military alliance) that NATO has developed its first methodology to count its emissions. The goal is for NATO to cut its emissions by 45 per cent by 2030 and then become net zero by 2050.
Climate: a threat multiplier
NATO adopted its 2022 Strategic Concept during the Madrid Summit to reaffirm the Alliance’s goals and principles and guide its actions for the coming decade. It acknowledges that climate change has become a threat multiplier and sets out a roadmap for how NATO can become a world leader when it comes to understanding and adapting to the impact of climate change on security and defence. The Concept outlines NATO’s commitment to combatting climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions, improving energy efficiency, while investing in the transition to clean energy sources and green technologies. The Strategic Concept also commits NATO to ensuring military effectiveness and enhancing the Alliance’s ability to support civilian crisis management and relief operations, in addition to preparing for the effects of climate change, food insecurity and health emergencies.
This Strategic Concept augments the adoption of the Strategic Compass for Security and Defence, adopted in March 2022 by the Council of the European Union. The EU’s Strategic Compass not only outlines the EU’s plan to strengthen its defence capabilities, but it explicitly highlights the need to enhance its resilience to climate change, and to that extent, increase its energy and resource efficiency to address the environmental footprint of its Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) missions and operations, in line with the Union’s goal of climate neutrality by 2050. For instance, green technology and sustainable digitalisation within the armed forces, represent a few steps towards a more sustainable EU defence sector.
The Strategic Compass also entails the creation of Rapid Deployment Capacity (RDC) comprising up to 5,000 troops for evacuation, stabilisation and rescuing missions. The military personnel of the RDC will train and exercise together from 2023, before becoming fully operational by 2025. Currently, operational scenarios are being created and climate change should be taken into account – for the protection of the environment, for the health of soldiers, and for military efficiency.
Taking stock of the aforementioned developments, EUROMIL is advocating for the promotion of sustainable practices in the military sector, the proper training of troops and the total understanding that the defence sector can significantly contribute in the fight against climate change.
For that reason, EUROMIL has become part of the EU Climate Pact to promote the active participation of military personnel in introducing sustainable practices in the armed forces.
The integration of climate change policies in the armed forces is of utmost importance to prepare the men and women on the field for the changing geopolitical environment caused by climate change. Soldiers should be aware of the challenges that climate change poses and on the one hand, learn how to operate under these circumstances, and on the other, learn how to mitigate their environmental footprint without losing capabilities.
Adaptation, mitigation and awareness go hand-in-hand with technology and innovation. In order for governments to reduce their environmental footprints and advance the operational capacity of their armed forces, sustainable technologies must be deployed. But, no state can develop such technologies alone or move towards the ‘greening’ of the military without international cooperation. Trade unions have an important role to play in this regard; the appropriate representation of military personnel and the use of its expertise on building sustainable and energy efficient defence forces is the only way forward.
