4 March 2025
Climate change continues to threaten the security and livelihoods of millions. Countries with high exposures to climate hazards, including agrarian economies and labor markets, are even more at risk with climate change acting as a threat multiplier, challenging governance and security. More than that, the effects of climate change may intersect with threats of violent extremism conducive to terrorism.
The complex nexus of peace, security, and climate change – particularly the relationship between climate change and violent extremism conducive to terrorism – requires further study, scrutiny, and deliberation. Enter the Initiative on Addressing the Nexus Between Climate Change and Violent Extremism. Led by Germany and Kenya with the support of implementing partner, the Global Community Engagement and Resilience Fund, the Initiative aims to better understand how climate change may exacerbate vulnerabilities in communities and intensifies known drivers of violent extremism conducive to terrorism.
To that end, the Leads held a virtual workshop which included governments, think tanks, academia, and more to discuss the current evidence and approaches on the nexus with a focus on the Middle East, Europe, and North Africa. Building on the first, second, and third workshops, this fourth workshop examined the dynamics of how climate change’s possible relationship with violent extremism conducive to terrorism is contextualized within those regions.
Under the Germany-Kenya mandate, the Initiative will develop a GCTF Framework Document on climate change and preventing and countering violent extremism conducive to terrorism by gathering diverse experiences, research findings, and evidence-based research. Set for endorsement at the 26th GCTF Coordinating Committee Meeting, the Framework Document will also create a network and knowledge hub of stakeholders relevant to the nexus between climate change and violent extremism conducive to terrorism.