Summary

It is now commonly asserted that climate change will fundamentally change international relations. It has been predicted that global warming will increase conflict within and between states, intensify food insecurity, menace the global trading system and unleash waves of migration. As a result governments are beginning to incorporate these warnings into their foreign policy initiatives. The appropriateness of their incipient responses needs to be examined in finer detail.

This book looks at the impact of climate change on European Union (EU) security policy. It explores how governments are reconfiguring their geo-strategy and broader international relations in the wake of climate change warnings. The book demonstrates that although many aspects of EU foreign policies have begun to change, 'climate security' is not yet accorded unequivocal or sufficient priority. In doing so, Youngs argues that if climate change policies are to have significant effect they can no longer be treated as a separate area of policy but must be incorporated into the more mainstream debates pertinent to EU common foreign and security policy (CFSP).

This book will be of key interest to students, scholars and practitioners of climate change and policy, energy and environmental policy, EU governance and foreign policy, European studies, international relations, geography, security studies/policy and environmental economics.

Choice Review

In this succinct and clearly written work, Youngs (Carnegie Europe and Univ. of Warwick, UK) examines how the emerging issue of climate change has impacted European security policy, both at the national and transnational (European Union) levels. He finds that climate change has received considerable lip service in declaratory statements, beginning as early as 2003 when Prime Minister Tony Blair proclaimed that "the destruction of the environment and global warming are as great a threat to world peace as terrorism and weapons of mass destruction." In terms of security policy implementation, however, Youngs sees little action. While climate change is now seen as more pertinent to national security concerns than earlier, it has not been made a clear priority with a discernible impact on geostrategy, either at the national or EU level. One reason may be that climate security has not yet resonated with public opinion in Europe. Youngs concludes rather pessimistically that a combination of domestic factors, inter-institutional rivalries, and bureaucratic stickiness will likely prevent concrete policy implementation until a disaster makes the need for action undeniable. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty. --Martin F. Farrell, Ripon College