Carabinieri, their participation in the inauguration ceremony of the “NATO Climate Change and Security Centre of Excellence”. The skills of the Carabinieri Forestali also exported to the summit on climate and security
The inauguration ceremony was held during the meeting of the first board of directors, a table where the General Command is delegated to represent the Italian Defense, given that Italy is one of the 12 sponsoring nations of the Center, which it has joined jointly since its activation, under the coordination of the General Office for Defense Innovation (UGID) of the SMD.
Carabinieri, their participation in the inauguration ceremony of the “NATO Climate Change and Security Centre of Excellence”. The skills of the Carabinieri Forestali also exported to the summit on climate and security
From 29 to 30 October, in Montreal, Canada, the General Command of the Carabinieri took part in the inauguration ceremony of the newly established NATO Climate Change and Security Centre of Excellence (CCAS CoE), an allied centre of excellence dedicated to the theme of the impact of climate change on security and the military instrument. Launched in 2023 and officially presented at the summit in Washington (USA) last June – during the celebrations for the 75th anniversary of the Alliance –, the Canadian one is one of the 30 NATO centres of excellence and the Carabinieri are an active part of it with a Senior Officer specifically seconded.
The inauguration ceremony was held during the meeting of the first steering committee, a table where the General Command, with the Head of the Military and Stability Police Office, Col. tSFP Marco Pucciatti, is delegated to represent the Italian Defense, given that Italy is one of the 12 sponsoring Nations of the Center, which it has joined jointly since its activation, under the coordination of the General Office for Defense Innovation (UGID) of the SMD.
The opening of the NATO CCAS CoE was also emphasized by another important event, the Montreal Climate Security Summit, an international conference dedicated to the relationship between climate and security, which in the 2024 edition saw the Force as the protagonist with the participation of the Commander of the Carabinieri Biodiversity Group, Gen. B. Raffaele Pio Manicone, speaker within the panel on “Climate and Human Security – Relationship between risks and priorities for action”.
The summit brought together thousands of participants as well as a large array of speakers from allied countries, partner nations and beyond (including Kuwait and Australia), as well as representatives from NATO Headquarters, the European Union and the United Nations.
This prestigious stage was an important opportunity to enhance the specificity of the Force in the environmental sector and provide the peculiar institutional contribution to the delicate sector where Italy can boast a dedicated sector, the organization for forestry, environmental and agri-food protection, and a national ad hoc center of excellence, the Center of Excellence for Environmental Protection of Sabaudia (RM).
Historical notes on NATO CCAS CoE
The idea of creating a research, training and development hub focused on the impact of climate change on security draws inspiration from the action plan on climate change and security adopted in Brussels in 2021.
Canada, the initiating country, cd framework (nation), was joined in this effort by the sponsoring nations Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Latvia, Luxembourg, Norway, Romania, Turkey and the United Kingdom. In July 2023, at the NATO Summit in Vilnius, representatives of each nation signed the founding document of the NATO Climate Change and Security Centre of Excellence, which opened in Montreal in the autumn of the same year. On 28 May 2024, CCASCOE was formally accredited by Allied Command Transformation, officially joining the family of 30 NATO Centres of Excellence across the Alliance.
Climate change and security
Climate change will have serious implications for allied security and collective defense. It acts as a threat multiplier, increasing instability, geostrategic competition, insecurity, and conflict. The resilience and effectiveness of our military infrastructure and equipment and the way we conduct operations will be affected by climate change, including extreme temperatures, changes in water acidity, air density, and the Atlantic Meridional Circulation, melting permafrost, rising sea levels, changes in precipitation patterns, and extreme weather events. In addition, drought, flooding, soil erosion, and biodiversity loss are already severely impacting populations in some regions of the world, particularly in the Global South, causing famine and loss of land and livelihoods, and intensifying forced migration. This insecurity can also increase social and political instability and create a breeding ground for terrorism.
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