Minister says climate risks must be treated as national security issue

Iceland’s environment, energy and climate minister says the government must take seriously the risk of a weakening or collapse of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation, and treat climate-related risks as a national security issue, mbl.is reports.

Jóhann Páll Jóhannsson spoke to mbl.is at the Arctic Circle conference, which concluded at Harpa on Saturday. He took part in two panel discussions with climate scientist Johan Rockström, director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, focusing on climate tipping points and their potential consequences.

“He is a kind of rock star in climate science,” Jóhannsson said of Rockström, crediting him with helping raise global awareness of the seriousness of climate change.

Risks have particular significance for Iceland

Jóhannsson said research by Rockström and his colleagues had shed light on climate tipping points, where changes in Earth’s climate systems can become irreversible. He cited the Amazon rainforest and the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation, or AMOC, which has a major influence on ocean currents and weather in the North Atlantic.

A possible weakening or collapse of the circulation has particular significance for Iceland, he said, making it a prominent topic at the conference.

“We are looking at how we can approach climate risks as a security issue,” Jóhannsson said.

He said a large group of climate scientists had previously written to the government warning of the risk that the circulation could weaken or even collapse. The government then discussed the issue in its National Security Council and appointed a special working group to study climate tipping points in relation to Iceland and Icelandic interests.

Government must listen to science

Jóhannsson said the response showed why links between the scientific community and government need to be strengthened. Governments must listen to science both when taking action against climate change and when adapting to it, he said.

Those issues had been central to the discussions he attended at the conference, which also covered artificial intelligence, security, the war in Ukraine and Arctic affairs.

Jóhannsson also praised the Arctic Circle and the international attention it has attracted. He called it a significant achievement by former Icelandic president Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson and his colleagues to build an event that draws scientists, politicians and businesspeople from around the world.

He praised Grímsson for developing the Arctic Circle into a strong international forum for discussion and the exchange of views.