Climate Security in Asia-Pacific: Introduction and Framework of the Policy Report Series

This discussion paper introduces the conceptual foundations and analytical framework of the Asia-Pacific Climate Security (APCS) briefing note series. It situates climate security within an evolving geopolitical context marked by intensifying climate impacts and growing challenges to multilateral cooperation. The paper examines how climate change interacts with insecurity, instability, and conflict, particularly in the Asia-Pacific region, which is characterized by diverse vulnerabilities and strategic significance for global climate action. It outlines five thematic areas — energy, human mobility, food, adaptation, and ocean security — through which climate-related security risks are explored. Adopting a bottom-up and exploratory approach, the framework emphasizes the absence of a unified international definition of climate security while proposing a flexible working concept linking climate change to peace and security outcomes.