Climate change has direct impact on military power and operations, MPs warned
MPs have been warned that climate change has a direct impact on the UK and its European allies' ability to project power.
Armida Van Rij, head of the Europe Programme at Chatham House, was giving evidence to the Defence Select Committee and said it could also result in a humanitarian disaster response that would alter training schedules.
She also said how threats posed by China and Russia are perceived across the continent and, alongside these global actors, highlighted the military impact of changes to the globe itself.
Ms Van Rij said these changes will alter how European nations exert their power across the globe, adding that we have already seen incidents that affect operability.
"You may remember a few summers ago when it was a particularly hot day in the UK and an RAF runway melted," she said.
"So we've seen this effect already.
"Europe is the fastest heating continent in the world and the impact on bases through flooding or melting equipment, military operations, through the impact of dust and sandstorms, equipment will erode much faster.
"All of that impacts our ability to protect power and undertake military operations."
Ms Van Rij also explained how it's not just the ability to deploy, but how and where that could also be altered.
"The thing for the UK to think about, and we've already seen this a little bit domestically, is that it might change demands placed on the military," she said.
"So the military might be called up more to respond to humanitarian or natural disasters, which may impact training schedules, for example.
"So all of these are interconnected."
The expert also warned climate change could lead to further instability and conflict, which could start as a result of lack of resources, also changing the European security picture.
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