Today, Tuesday, March 24, the German Advisory Council on Global Change (WBGU) published an eight-page situation report on the topic of security. Prof. Dr. Claudia Traidl-Hoffmann, a co-author and member of the Board, shares her insights on the content here and makes clear why environmental risks must be an indispensable part of modern security strategies.?

“Dear colleagues and friends of the Centre for Climate Resilience, and dear readers,
The next flagship report by the German Advisory Council on Global Change (WBGU) will comprehensively address the topic of security, with a particular focus on aspects that, in our view, have been insufficiently considered in the current, heavily militarized political debate. The report identifies five key areas of action that need to be integrated into the security-policy strategy of the Federal Government and the National Security Council:

(1)? ? Security in the context of climate, environment, and health,
(2)? ? Security in the context of social cohesion,
(3)? ? Security in the context of AI and information integrity,
(4)? ? Security in the context of raw material and technology dependencies, and
(5)? ? Security in the context of international cooperation.

The situation report, now published, explains why the WBGU is addressing the topic of security at this particular moment and outlines the specific contribution we aim to make to the debate. It introduces the five thematic priorities and provides initial recommendations for action. Over the course of the year, the WBGU will publish a series of in-depth analyses and further recommendations in specific report sections on various fields of action.
From my perspective as an environmental physician, one aspect is particularly central: health. Today, security is no longer just about geopolitical stability; it also encompasses the stability of the environmental conditions that sustain our health. Heat, air pollution, and environmental changes are already contributing to a measurable burden of disease – and when ecosystems fall out of balance, this directly becomes a health issue.
This also highlights the connection to the medicine of the future: It will be more preventive, systemic, and focused on the interactions between humans and their environment. The current Science Year “Future Medicine” provides an important framework for rethinking security – as the protection of the natural and social foundations of health.
Given the current global situation – with threatened energy and raw material supply chains, an increasingly strained rules-based international order, and nearly unabated climate change – we consider it essential to expand the security discourse to include these perspectives and to supplement ongoing strategic discussions accordingly.

Yours sincerely Claudia Traidl-Hoffmann."

?

Prof. Dr. Claudia Traidl-Hoffmann
Deputy Director of the Centre for Climate Resilience, Director of the Institute of Environmental Medicine and Integrative Health and Member of the Advisory Board of the WBGU

?

You can find more informations? here.

?