Climate change, vulnerability and securitization

Zusammenfassung

This article examines whether a country's vulnerability to Global Climate Change increases or decreases governmental attempts to securitize the issue. Based on the Notre Dame Global Adaptation Initiative vulnerability index, seven countries were analyzed: South Africa, Germany, Australia, Brazil, Mauritius, Rwanda, and São Tomé and Príncipe. The research tested the hypothesis that "the more vulnerable the country to GCC, the more likely it is for the government to securitize its agenda." The findings revealed the hypothesis does not hold, as "high vulnerability to GCC does not necessarily mean a higher tendency to securitize the issue." The study concludes that vulnerable nations may address climate challenges through regular institutional channels rather than emergency securitization measures, and recommends further research exploring why less vulnerable countries sometimes securitize climate issues more intensively.