Ryan Bachoo
Lead Editor - Newsgathering
President of Guyana Dr Irfaan Ali says the new world cannot develop defence strategies without factoring in the effects of climate change, especially in the Latin American and Caribbean regions.
“We cannot, in this new world that we are expected to lead, develop a defence strategy without understanding that climate change must be an integral part of that strategy,” President Ali underscored during his presentation at the National Defense University in Washington, DC.
He also expressed a desire to see climate and defence discussed in tandem at COP28, this November in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
The impact of climate change, the President stated, greatly threatens the security of a nation, especially in instances where there are loss of homes and jobs following devastating occurrences. He explained that people are left to fend for themselves, which leads to increased poverty and criminal activities, and inevitably stretches the limited security resources.
“One hurricane event can wipe out 100% of GDP overnight; that has consequences on migration and poverty levels, which are linked to security and crime.”
At the same time, he posited that defence budgets in some instances, are the first to be cut in response to impacts caused by disasters.
Moreover, the President said in addition to climate security and food security, energy security must also be prioritised when developing defence strategies.