By Siena Cicarelli and Erin Sikorsky

While much climate security analysis focuses on the direct and indirect security risks of climate hazards themselves, there is a third category of risk that receives comparatively less attention but has profound implications for the future of climate action. This category can be termed “risks of response” or the security dynamics of the ways in which governments and societies respond to the challenges posed by climate change. Both positive (policies to curb emissions) and negative (xenophobic policies to block climate-driven migration) responses to climate change can contribute to instability and security risks.