A group of retired defence and security personnel have warned that the climate crisis remains the greatest threat to the future and security of Australians.
In a statement issued by the Australian Security Leaders Climate Group (ASLCG) and signed by 17 senior former defence and security personnel including former defence force chief Admiral Chris Barrie and former deputy chief of the Royal Australian Air Force Air Vice-Marshal John Blackburn, the leaders said that the country is unprepared to deal with the increasingly harsh impacts of climate change.
They called on political leaders to make the security risks posed by climate change a central issue of the forthcoming federal election.
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“As ex-service members and experienced security practitioners who have witnessed up-close the devastation of war and crisis, we consider that climate change now represents the greatest threat to the future and security of Australians,” they said in the statement.
They noted that while the first duty of government is the safety and protection of the people, Australia has failed when it comes to climate change threats as the country currently has no credible climate policy.
“We call upon all those offering themselves as political leaders in this election year to make climate change a primary focus and commit to mobilising the resources necessary to address this clear and present danger,” they said.
This is coming a week after Barrie told a conference defence personnel are not allowed to speak out on the national strategic threats posed by climate change without prior approval from the defence minister Peter Dutton’s office.
Barrie had said that climate change had previously contributed to concurrent wheat crop failures in Ukraine, Russia, China and Australia, which led to rising food prices in countries around the world and became a key trigger for the Arab Spring and regional instability.
“Now high energy and food prices triggered by the Ukraine invasion could contribute to social unrest in countries as far apart as Egypt and Indonesia, which is right on Australia’s doorstep,” he said.
Story was adapted from the Guardian.
