A recent address by UN Under-Secretary-General and UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner, at the UN Security Council debate on the impacts of climate change on  international peace and security, is a must read (or watch, if you prefer).  In the address, Steiner clearly defines the major pillars of the climate and security link.  The points raised in his address highlight the current peace and security implications of climate change, and chart a clear path for adequately addressing the risks.

Humanity is at a point in its history where it has, for the first time, the power to fundamentally alter within one or two generations the conditions upon which societies have evolved over millennia. It is the speed of environmental change, including climate change that will be increasingly at the heart of our collective concern and response.  The question is less and less one of whether climate change is a security threat or a threat multiplier.  But one of how we can assess and manage the risks associated with climate change and its security implications as an international community.

-Achim Steiner, UNEP