Montréal Climate Security Summit 2024

About the Montreal Climate Security Summit

The NATO Climate Change and Security Centre of Excellence (CCASCOE) and the Conference of Defence Associations (CDA) Institute are excited to announce the 3rd Montreal Climate Security Summit, which will take place on October 29th-30th, 2024 in Montreal, Canada.

The Montreal Climate Security Summit is an annual international meeting at the intersection of climate change and security, which brings together participants from across the NATO Alliance and beyond. This year, we are expecting an audience of 200 guests which will include high-level civilian and military practitioners, policy makers, decision makers, and seasoned researchers hailing from NATO member countries, multilateral and regional organizations, industry, think tanks, and civil society. The event will feature speakers from Canada, Norway, Denmark, Germany, the United Kingdom, the United States, Finland, Italy, Kuwait, the Netherlands, India, as well as NATO HQ, the European Union and the United Nations. 

The first two editions of the Montreal Summit were led by the CDA Institute. With the establishment of the CCASCOE in Montreal in 2023, the two organizations are joining forces to build on previous efforts and generate a landmark venue to discuss climate security between NATO Allies and beyond.

This year’s in-person edition of the Montreal Summit will be by-invitation only. 

Key Themes

Discussions at the Summit will be action-oriented and explore the following central themes:

  • Current and future climate security threats and the role of NATO
  • Resilience of military infrastructure
  • Risk-mitigation strategies
  • Greening defense and military readiness
  • Regional and Indigenous outlooks
  • Arctic security
  • Strategic foresight
  • Human security
  • Data-sharing

About the Organizers

The 3rd edition of the Montreal Climate Security Summit is co-hosted by the NATO Climate Change and Security Centre of Excellence (CCASCOE) and the Conference of Defence Associations (CDA) Institute.

The Conference of Defence Associations is a leading defence and security think tank founded in 1932, which brings together 45 member associations representing over 400,000 active and retired members of the Canadian Armed Forces and Canadians with a close connection to national defence and security. In 1987, the CDA founded a separate Institute as a charitable organization with the mission to advance informed debate on national security issues.

Through its Climate and Security Programme, the CDA Institute has been at the forefront in Canada among defence and security think tanks to raise awareness on and study the issues surrounding climate and security. The objective of the CDA Institute’s Climate and Security Programme is to advance informed debate and dialogue on the multiple ways in which climate and environmental change interact with Canadian national security issues, particularly as it relates to national defence and foreign policy. Through activities promoting expertise, research and analysis on the climate and security nexus and its implications for Canada, the Institute contributes to informing Canada’s climate security priorities and Canada’s role in global climate security efforts; strengthens the Canadian community of practitioners, scholars and policymakers on climate and security; and contributes to the development of tangible solutions to current and emerging security and defence challenges relating to climate change.

The opening of the NATO Climate Change and Security Centre of Excellence (CCASCOE) in October 2023 and its accreditation to NATO in May 2024 are a milestone for NATO to address the security implications of climate change. The CCASCOE was established to support the efforts of NATO Allies and partners to adapt to the implications of climate change on their security and mitigate their own impact on climate change, while strengthening operational effectiveness. Canada, the framework nation, was joined in this effort by CCASCOE’s sponsoring nations: Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Latvia, Luxemburg, Norway, Romania, Türkiye and the United Kingdom.

The CCASCOE works with governmental and non-governmental organizations, think tanks, academia and industry to stimulate innovative solutions, encourage closer collaboration among NATO Allies and partners and across different types of organizations, gather and streamline knowledge and expertise in one dedicated hub, and increase the awareness of decision-makers and the broader public on the pressing need of taking concrete actions to preserve Allied security. CCASCOE’s efforts support the implementation of the NATO Climate Change and Security Action Plan and contribute to NATO’s overall military readiness, deterrence and defence posture.

What to Expect

The Montreal Summit is a senior-level forum designed to allow attendees to expand their knowledge base of climate security trends, policies, and initiatives across and beyond the NATO Alliance, and to receive the most timely analysis from senior experts and decision makers to develop innovative policy, research, and business development strategies.

Participants are encouraged to bring their expertise and experience to bear on the conversation. The event is designed to foster interdisciplinary dialogue and facilitate the ideation of solutions. It is an opportunity to engage with our speakers and ask questions that break out traditional disciplinary and policy silos.

Interested in sponsoring the summit? Gain access to the event and visibility benefits for your company today. Contact Jennifer Giguere (jennifer@cdainstitute.ca) for more details on becoming a sponsor of the Montreal Summit.

Registration Process

The Montreal Climate Security Summit is by-invitation only. This year, the event will have a limited number of complimentary seats reserved for students and members of the general public who are passionate about the intersection of climate change and security.

If you are interested in attending as a guest, please submit your registration statement of interest form.

Speakers

Full speaker list to be announced shortly.
Click on speaker names to view their biographies.

LGen M.C. WRIGHT, CMM, MMV, MSM, CD

Commander of the Canadian Army and Chief of the Army Staff
Canadian Army

Cmdre RUUD SCHOONEN

Assistant Chief of Staff Strategic Plans & Policy
NATO Allied Command Transformation

IRIS A. FERGUSON

Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Arctic and Global Resilience
US Department of Defense

LISA QILUQQI KOPERQUALUK

President
Inuit Circumpolar Council (ICC) Canada

HANS OLAV IBREKK

Policy Director, Energy and Climate Change
Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs

MGen HENNING-A. FRANTZEN

Head of the Department of Defense Policy and Long-term Planning
Norwegian Ministry of Defence

STEFAN RAHMSTORF

Co-Head of Research, Department on Earth System Analysis
Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK)

SHERRI GOODMAN

Secretary General
International Military Council on Climate & Security (IMCCS)

Gen (Ret'd) TOM MIDDENDORP

Chairman
International Military Council on Climate and Security
Former Chief of Defense of the Netherlands

BGen PIETRO CARROZZA

2nd Department Deputy Head
Carabinieri General HQ

MARISOL MADDOX

Senior Arctic Analyst, Wilson Center Polar Institute
Operational Research Analyst, PolArctic LLC

NOAH J. GORDON

Co-director, Sustainability, Climate, and Geopolitics Program
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

TOM ELLISON

Deputy Director
The Center for Climate and Security (CCS)

HIMANSHU GUPTA

CEO and Co-founder
ClimateAI

LOUISE VAN SCHAIK

Head of Unit EU & Global Affairs
Clingendael Institute

AYESHA SIDDIQI

Associate Professor at the Department of Geography
University of Cambridge

CATHERINE WONG

Team Leader - Climate and Security Risk
United Nations Development Programme

COL NICHOLAS DICKSON

Strategic Resilience and Stability Division Chief
AFRICOM J56

ERIN HUGHEY

Deputy Executive Director
Pacific Disaster Center

JOSHUA ELLIOTT

Chief Scientist
Renaissance Philanthropy

SWATHI VEERAVALLI

Director of Climate Security and Adaptation
US National Security Council

MATTHEW A. RHODES

Professor of International Security
Ted Stevens Center for Arctic Security Studies

WILL GREAVES

Associate Professor University of Victoria

SARAH-MYRIAM MARTIN-BRÛLÉ

Professor, Department of Politics and International Studies
Bishop's University Board Member
The Climate Security Association of Canada

BRUNO CHARBONNEAU

Professor of International Studies
Royal Military College Saint-Jean
Senior Scientific Advisor
Climate Change and Security Centre of Excellence (CCASCOE)

SHARON BURKE

Founder and President Ecospherics

ANTHONY AGOTA

Climate & Environment Ambassador
European External Action Service (EEAS)

COL GIANCARLO TURCO

Senior Expert on Climate Change and Security
International Military Staff, NATO

JAMES CLARE

Director of Climate Change and Sustainabality
UK Department of Defence

MIKE DIORIO

Senior Vice President of Operations
Dataminr

MOHAMMAD ALQATTAN

Vice President of Research
American International University in Kuwait

LCOL NICOLAS HILARÉGUY

Commander of the second Canadian Ranger Patrol Group
Canadian Armed Forces

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