UK urges climate security focus and overhaul of finance for fragile states

The UK is calling for climate change to be treated as a global security issue and for more coordinated climate finance for fragile states, Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband said at COP31 in Antalya on 12 November.

Speaking at a ministerial roundtable on climate security, Miliband said climate impacts could affect food security, infrastructure and population movements. He argued that framing climate change as a security concern could help build wider support for climate action, while stressing that this needed to be matched by practical measures.

Miliband said countries facing the most severe crises receive an average of $2 per person in climate finance, compared with $162 per person in non-crisis settings. He described support for vulnerable countries as fragmented and uncoordinated, and called for reform of global financial institutions and improved preparation for extreme weather, including early-warning systems and insurance.

The speech also pointed to the UK’s G20 presidency as an opportunity to advance the issue. Miliband urged governments to work together, saying that security in one country affects security elsewhere.

The UK has appointed Madeleine Alessandri, a former chair of its Joint Intelligence Committee, as its special representative for climate security. Prime Minister Andy Burnham announced the appointment at the summit.