Goal 13: Climate action

Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts

Climate change affects every country on every continent. Weather patterns are changing, sea levels are rising, weather events are becoming more extreme and greenhouse gas emissions are now at their highest levels in history.

Climate change is a global challenge that does not respect national borders and requires solutions that need to be co-ordinated at the international level. Once considered to be a purely environmental issue, climate change is increasingly being included as an inherent element of national and international security agendas. It is seen as a threat multiplier that exacerbates existing threats to security and environmental stress, adding to pressures that can push the responsive capacities of governments to their limits. The OSCE creates awareness of the security implications of climate change and supports the development and implementation of transboundary climate change adaptation strategies.