Alistair D. B. Cook

Human-induced climate change will likely cause more intense and frequent cyclones and typhoons, as noted in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report Climate Change 2021: The Physical Science Basis. Within the Asia-Pacific region, regional security discussions at the leadership level focus on the imminent threats to states and societies of more frequent and intense extreme weather events and sea-level rise as it is the world’s most exposed region. This article examines recent developments and discourse regarding climate change in the Asia-Pacific security architecture using the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) as a case study. It finds increasing recognition of climate change and its implications for peace and security within the regional security architecture. Debates over how best to address it to overcome an atomised approach to climate change impacts on peace and security in the region remain unresolved, but recent pronouncements at the leadership level signal an emerging mindset shift in understanding climate change within the regional security discourse. However, the substantive discussions largely take place in hybrid forums, albeit with official recognition in more traditional platforms, which may undermine efforts for an inclusive regional discourse on the climate change impacts on peace and security in ASEAN.

The Indo-Pacific region has gained traction in security discussions that predominantly focus on traditional security concerns of major power rivalry, statecraft and economic security. Less attention is paid to the impact of climate change on the states and societies in the region most exposed to natural hazards and the knock-on effects that a changing climate poses. Although there are varied and unevenly distributed impacts in the region, the perspectives of those located in the region have not gained sufficient attention in academic debates. This article introduces a volume of Third World Quarterly where scholars from within the Indo-Pacific examine the place and priority climate change garners within national and regional security discussions.