The Nordic prime ministers will meet today, 26 May, in Turku to discuss competitiveness and strengthening overall security. Solving the nature and climate crisis is closely intertwined with security issues. This link cannot be ignored in any area of society. Tackling the nature and climate crises may seem a less acute challenge in an economically and geopolitically unstable world but ignoring these crises will create much more instability in the future.

Environmental crises are linked to security through direct, cascading and transitory effects. Direct impacts include large-scale wildfires and other direct threats to people and the environment. In turn, cascading impacts occur, for example, when changing climate or pollinator depletion affects food security and thus global movement, security and stability. Transitional impacts occur when, for example, the raw materials needed to produce wind power are not available.

The environmental crisis exacerbates security risks.

In addition to resolving armed conflicts and cleaning up environmental damage, more must be done to address the root causes of conflicts. These include solutions to the climate crisis, natural degradation and pollution. All sectors of society are needed: legislators, businesses, organizations, and individuals. 

From a business perspective, putting environmental crisis management at the heart of business will both ensure the availability of raw materials and strengthen the safety and stability of the operating environment for production and workers. Working for nature and climate can no longer be just a slogan or a small side project. If a company cannot track its impact on nature on its own or does not know where to start, it can always turn to a company like Luontoa. We can help you integrate nature work into your company’s overall operations and supply chain management.

Text: Paloma Hannonen

Photo: Katariina Musta