iscover
The climate crisis isn’t just a shibboleth of the Left – it’s a national security challenge Australia must meet.
The Western Allies in World War II made – and continue to make – much of the strength and resilience of their home front spirit. Communities came together as a single nation to support their defence forces fighting on battlefields both near and far, and Australia is no exception.
“People on the home front were expected to make economic and social sacrifices for the war effort. The Curtin government launched a campaign of ‘Austerity’ in August 1942 and home front propaganda pushed the concept of ‘equality of sacrifice’. People were expected to work harder and avoid luxuries and waste. Despite the difficulties and hardships experienced on the home front, many Australians remember this time for its sense of unity, a time when people worked hard and pulled together.”
This comes from the Australian War Memorial’s online encyclopedia and is an eloquent summation of those trying years.
It’s also exactly the kind of attitude that former Australian Defence Force chief and executive member of the Australian Security Leaders Climate Group Chris Barrie feels is needed to face the grave climate threat that Australia will face over the coming decades.
Picking the right ally
Speaking at an event at Parliament House to launch a paper titled, A climate-first foreign policy for Australia: Human security in the age of climate disruption, Admiral (Ret’d) Chris Barrie said that facing the climate crisis head-on would be a net positive for the nation.
“It will not only be good for us here in Australia, it will be good for our region too, where a lot of people expect countries like ours to step up when there’s a need,” Barrie said.
“And looking at the tea leaves right now, that need is very apparent to me. We’re entering a very dangerous period where the United States simply does not care about all of us.”
One of the paper’s key assertions is that not only is the US no longer a reliable ally under the Trump administration, but the AUKUS alliance ties us into what could very well be the losing side in any conflict over Taiwan. For Barrie, Australia’s future lies with Asia, particularly with our number one trade partner, China.
Barrie presents an alternative to the current alliance, one built on “strong alliances with the archipelago nations to our immediate north” and a focus not on hyper-expensive nuclear-powered submarines, but more conventional diesel-powered boats well-suited to defending Australia’s shallow coastal waters. Such a doctrine also saves vital billions that could be better spent in getting ready for the true challenge of the century – climate change.
All change
We live on a rapidly warming planet. Scientists and climate experts predicted that the world would warm by 1.5 degrees by 2040, but that yardstick was surpassed by 2024. We’re now expecting the globe to be warmer by 2 degrees by 2040, warmer still by the end of the century.
“Three degrees will very likely mean widespread social conflict, large-scale people displacement, war, failed states and social collapse,” Barrie said.
“In a 3 degrees Celsius hotter world, new extremes – of rainfall and flooding, heat and drought – beyond past human experience will occur.”
The speed with which the planet is warming effectively means the Australian government has “lost” 15 years of preparation time – the crisis is now and needs to be addressed now. Tipping points, such as the melting of permafrost, are being passed all over the world, while the Amazon is likely to face a “significant” dieback in the coming years.
This is an “all hands on deck” moment, according to Barrie, and the risks of catastrophic climate change will go beyond borders and traditional alliances.
Barrie and his colleagues believe that Australia must form strong climate alliances with Asia-Pacific governments, both large and small. We need to help developing countries prepare and plan for climate disruption and work together to identify “food insecurity hotspots” while enhancing food supply chains in the region.
The government must also release the Office of National Assessments’ 2022 climate and security risk assessment. That document remains classified, when its release could help build a better understanding of the climate risks facing the country.
“There are questions we must answer. Are the AUKUS submarines a strategic priority? Is being part of a war with China in our interest? Should Australia’s strategy instead focus on regional climate security and preventing state breakdown? Should we commit to broad cooperation with nations on the front line of climate disruption, with climate-focused agreements on aid, migration, tax, trade, technology, finance and equity?” Barrie asked.
To put things as plainly as Barrie said in the paper, Australia must now do whatever it takes to not only reduce tensions in the region but also to work towards a collaborative and region-wide solution that can create “a shared goal of a safe future for humanity”.
You can read the full paper here.
