International organizations in different parts of the world are paying growing attention to the perceived security risks associated with climate change.1 In this policy space, the European Union (EU) has become an important actor, together with several of its member states, initiating debate around climate-related security risks (CRSRs, see box 1) in international policy dialogues. For example, through EU member states addressing CRSRs in the United Nations Security Council.2 Indeed, some researchers suggest that the EU is the institutional cradle of the climate security debate globally.3 However, although a growing body of research has acknowledged the EU’s strong leadership role in the international context, researchers have also pointed out that the EU is underperforming when it comes to translating climate-related security policies into practice.

This SIPRI Insights on Peace and Security investigates how CRSRs have been framed and responded to by different EU bodies in recent years.5 It