Agricultural resources and climate change: defence and security issues

This brief addresses the security issues related to the impact of climate change on agricultural resources. It is divided into three parts: an analysis of the vulnerability of agricultural resources to climate change; an examination of the strategic and defence issues related to securing them; and an identification of geopolitical and security breakpoints.

In November 2022, the French Minister of the Armed Forces, Sébastien Lecornu, underlined in the press “the return of high intensity in Europe” induced by the Russian-Ukrainian war (Chapleau, 2022, 6 November). Among the threats hanging over France in this context, the minister cited the “blackmail of food raw materials”. He also highlighted the intertwining of defence issues and food security issues, defined as the guarantee of access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food (World Food Summit, 1996). This is threatened by tensions and conflicts, but also by socio-economic phenomena such as population growth and the increasing scarcity of mineral and energy resources, which are essential to the agri-food sector.