Climate, Energy and Environmental Security Research Programme

This programme of work addresses climate change, energy, and environmental security as the backdrop to all national security, defence and foreign policy discourses.


As part of RUSI’s Climate, Energy and Environmental Security Research Programme, we undertake research and host events focusing on the impact of the current climate emergency on the global security and defence realms. With expertise across a range of themes and geographies, our researchers are exploring both the existing and future challenges of global warming.

We focus on three areas.

Climate: assessing the impact of climate change specifically on conflict, security, resilience and geopolitics.

Energy and net zero: reviewing energy security challenges, as well as risks, threats and the geopolitics relating to the energy transition and net zero technologies.

Environment: looking at the risks resulting from localised environmental degradation and pollution as well as the risks to the environment and environmental law.

This research programme rests on the fundamental assumption that climate change is both an existential threat to humanity and a threat multiplier. The programme brings together stakeholders from across government, academia, the private sector and civil society to advance cross-sectoral dialogue and offer policy-relevant recommendations to decision-makers.

Watch the roundtable discussion


After the conclusion of COP27, four members of RUSI's Climate Steering Group discuss their thoughts about the conference, whether energy efficiencies can be made in the short to medium-term, and what they would like to see happen in the climate space in areas related to their research. (This conversation was recorded on Monday 21 November 2022.)

Programme themes

Our research programme is divided into three themes.

Our experts


Dan Marks

Research Fellow for Energy Security

Cyber

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Mark Williams

Programme Manager | SHOC Network Member - Researcher

Organised Crime and Policing

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Juliana Suess

Former RUSI Research Fellow

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Dr Jessica White

Acting Director of Terrorism and Conflict Studies

Terrorism and Conflict

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Claudia Wallner

Research Fellow

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Christopher Hockey

Senior Research Fellow

RUSI Nairobi

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Michael Jones

Research Fellow

Terrorism and Conflict

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Kathryn Westmore

Senior Research Fellow

Centre for Finance and Security

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Trevor Taylor

Professorial Research Fellow

Defence, Industries and Society

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Associates


Dr James Henderson

Associate Fellow

RUSI International

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Dr Aura Sabadus

Associate Fellow

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Latest publications

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