The UK Government has launched its first dedicated Climate Security Taskforce, bringing together leading security, military and academic experts to strengthen the nation’s preparedness for the growing risks posed by climate change and nature loss.
Announced today (26th June) by Climate Minister Katie White, the new taskforce aims to provide independent advice on how the UK can better anticipate and respond to the security challenges linked to a changing climate. It will be co-chaired by White and Security Minister Dame Angela Eagle.
The move follows the publication of the UK’s 2025 National Security Strategy, which identifies climate change and biodiversity loss as key drivers of global instability, economic disruption and national security threats.
The taskforce will assess gaps in the UK’s current preparedness, review resilience measures already in place across government, and develop recommendations to improve the country’s ability to respond to climate-related risks.
The announcement comes as the UK experiences another period of extreme heat. According to the UK Health Security Agency, more than 1,500 heat-related deaths were recorded last summer, while hot and dry conditions in 2025 are estimated to have caused around £800 million in crop losses for British farmers.
Speaking at the launch, Security Minister Dame Angela Eagle said climate change is increasingly affecting everyday life, from disrupting global supply chains and increasing food prices to fuelling conflict and instability overseas.
‘The climate crisis is a growing threat to our national security,’ she said. ‘This new taskforce will bring together leading experts to make sure Britain is better prepared for these risks – strengthening our resilience at home and ensuring we can respond to an increasingly uncertain world.’
The group will examine how climate impacts overseas could create domestic pressures, including increased migration from climate-vulnerable regions, while also assessing risks to food and water supplies, energy systems, financial markets and critical infrastructure. It will also explore emerging geopolitical tensions, particularly in the Arctic, where melting ice is opening new strategic challenges.
The initial group of Taskforce members include:
- Tim Benton, Professor Emeritus, University of Leeds; formerly Research Director & Distinguished Fellow at Chatham House
- Nick Bridge, Associate Fellow, Environment and Society Centre, Chatham House
- Duncan de Pledge, Senior Lecturer in Geopolitics and Security, Loughborough University
- Bassam Fattouh, Director, Oxford Institute for Energy Studies.
- Olivia Lazard, Planetary Fellow, Berggruen Institute
- General Richard Nugee, Non-Executive Director for Climate Change and Sustainability, MOD
- Nathalie Pettorelli, Professor, Institute of Zoology, ZSL
- Janani Vivekananda, Director of Climate Diplomacy and Security Programme, Adelphi Global
More members will be announced ‘in due course’
Janani Vivekananda, Director of Climate Diplomacy and Security Programme, Adelphi Global, said: ‘Security in the 2020s means climate security. I’m honoured to join this Taskforce to help ensure the UK acts early and decisively – with integrated, evidence‑based and accountable responses that prevent climate and nature risks from becoming crises, protect people, and strengthen the conditions for peace.’
General Richard Nugee, Non-Executive Director for Climate Change and Sustainability, MOD, said: ‘I am delighted to be joining a TaskForce that puts climate change and biodiversity loss at the heart of National Security for this country. Both have significant implications for the Security and well being of the state and must be addressed for our people.’