International Journal of Intelligence and CounterIntelligence

Climate and Environmental Intelligence: History, Theory and Practice

Climate and Environmental Intelligence (CLIMINT / ENVINT) is an emerging interdisciplinary addition to the
field of intelligence studies. It warns and informs decision-makers about environmental, climatic, ecological, and geophysical conditions or developments that may affect (inter)national security.
The purpose of CLIMINT/ENVINT is to understand how climatic and environmental dynamics—including extreme weather, climate volatility, environmental degradation, biodiversity loss, resource scarcity, energy transition, and ecosystem collapse—shape adversary behavior, state vulnerability, military capabilities, economic security, supply chains, strategic competition, etc. CLIMINT/ENVINT integrates tools and perspectives from other
disciplines that bear upon intelligence issues.
All submissions related to CLIMINT/ENVINT are welcome; examples of such relevant papers may include:
• The history, evolution, and strategic role of environmental and climate intelligence within national security and defense communities.
• Intelligence methodologies for collecting, corroborating, and validating climate and environmental data from satellite remote sensing, marine surveillance, down-stations, airborne ISR, cyber-physical monitoring systems, or climate analytics platforms.
• Assessing climate-driven risks to (inter)national security, economic security, energy security, health security, food systems, water governance, population movement, and operational readiness.
• Analyses of how different threat actors might, and do, exploit environmental dynamics for strategic, operational or tactical effect.
• Identifying climate-driven disinformation and/or foreign malign influence activities.
• Analytical techniques to evaluate how environmental stressors influence decision-making, strategic competition, or political stability.