Military experts join a ‘taskforce’ to tackle climate security threats

LEADING security, military and academic experts are set to join a newly launched Government taskforce aimed at addressing growing threats to the UK posed by climate change.

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The group will advise the Government on how to better anticipate and respond to these risks, as global warming and nature loss are increasingly recognised as core drivers of geopolitical instability and economic disruption.

Co-chaired by climate minister Katie White and security minister Dame Angela Eagle, officials said the taskforce will meet to pinpoint gaps in the UK's preparedness.

The experts will also aim to identify the most serious climate and nature threats to national security, review existing resilience work across government and set out clear recommendations to strengthen readiness, they said.

It comes after a report put together by intelligence officials warned that biodiversity loss and ecosystem collapse are a realistic possibility that could trigger a global competition for food, mass migration to the UK and nuclear war in Asia.