Climate Emergency: A Threat to Peace, Security, and Livelihoods

On the occasion of the International Day of Peace being observed around the world on 21 September, 2019 the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, in his message said, "Today peace faces a new danger: the climate emergency, which threatens our security, our livelihoods and our lives. That is why it is the focus of this year’s International Day of Peace. And it’s why I am convening a Climate Action Summit."

According to the UN, the theme of the observance this year draws attention to the importance of combating climate change as a way to protect and promote peace throughout the world. Also, UN’s Sustainable Development Goals cover a broad range of issues, including poverty, hunger, health, education, climate change, gender equality, water, sanitation, energy, environment and social justice.

The UN suggested that peace can only be achieved if concrete action is taken to combat climate change emphasizing four key measures that Governments should prioritize in order to reach carbon neutrality by 2050: tax pollution, not people; stop subsidizing fossil fuels; stop building new coal plants by 2020; focus on a green economy, not a grey economy, according to a call made by the UN chief earlier

A day prior to the event, the International Day of Peace Student Observance on 20 September 2019 was held at United Nations Headquarters to provide a platform for young people to showcase the projects that they have undertaken to fight climate change and promote peace. Before the event, the Peace Bell was sounded at the UN headquarters.

According to this blogger, climate change stands as a defining global crisis, driven fundamentally by systemic overconsumption and an ecological imbalance rooted in human greed that has overtaken their needs. He views the climate crisis as the product of failure at both micro and macro dimensions due to consumerist life style at the personal level and profit making over production a global riddled with cut-throat competition for profits,

The over climate crisis is summered in the following illustration which shows the crisis at the personal and global levels.

In Summary

Kishore (2026) highlights how the climate emergency behaves as a ‘risk multiplier,’ rather than just causing environmental degradation, it exacerbates existing geopolitical, social, and economic tensions around the globe. It severe weather patterns, prolonged droughts, and rising sea levels directly undermine agriculture, water availability, and food security. This economic devastation strips communities of their fundamental means of survival, pushing vulnerable populations deeper into poverty. Addressing climate change is not merely an environmental obligation but a prerequisite for maintaining global peace. It calls for immediate, coordinated global intervention and systemic policy changes to transition away from destructive practices before reaching a point of no return.

Reference for citation

Kishore, L. (2026, September 10)Climate Emergency: A Threat to Peace, Security, and Livelihoods, Lalit Culp, https://lalitculp.wixsite.com/website/post/climate-emergency-a-threat-to-peace-security-and-livelihoods