The National Security Assessment offers a stark warning of ecological collapse
JVL Introduction
We somehow missed this article when it was published at the end of January. It discusses the UK national security assessment on biodiversity loss and ecosystem collapse which was supposed to be published last October.
It only appeared after a Freedom of Information request, apparently significantly “abridged”.
Even so, the report we have, “Global biodiversity loss, ecosystem collapse and national security: A national security assessment” is devastating in its conclusions.
As George Monbiot points out, “It echoes warnings some of us have made for years, only to be dismissed as nutters, doomsayers and extremists.”
It tells us that
- “ecosystem degradation is occurring across all regions. Every critical ecosystem is on a pathway to collapse (irreversible loss of function beyond repair).”
- this presents a threat to “UK national security and prosperity”.
- “the world is already experiencing impacts including crop failures, intensified natural disasters and infectious disease outbreaks. Threats will increase with degradation and intensify with collapse.”
- “It is unlikely the UK would be able to maintain food security if ecosystem collapse drives geopolitical competition for food.”
- “conflict and military escalation will become more likely, both within and between states, as groups compete for arable land and food and water resources”.
That’s for starters.
RK
This article was originally published by the Guardian on Tue 27 Jan 2026. Read the original here.
The UK government didn’t want you to see this report on ecosystem collapse. I’m not surprised
It took an FOI request to bring this national security assessment to light. For ‘doomsayers’ like us, it is the ultimate vindication
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Unfortunately, there is very little hope of changing disruptive policies in the foreseeable future, because as we speak, new wars are raging, and we are supporting them politically, militarily and with the hard-earned money of citizens. Wars and the military industrial complex are the biggest polluters on Earth, and they have the most powerful political lobby in all of our governments. So while I understand that the far right is collecting voters from the meat industry, the others are also diligently wagging their tail to the MIT, of which we aren’t talking in the papers about environmental protection. Isn’t it, Mr Monbiot? I can’t believe anyone missed the meme about the guy trying to drink from a bottle with the cap attached, while in the other picture, the explosions in Iran are lighting up the skies…Right now, if we expect any to have the slightest chance to talk about saving ourselves through saving the planet, we need to stop the madness of wars and sit down to fix whatever is left to fix. If not, climate change will fix us all very soon.
Never has George Monbiot’s voice in this article been more prescient as we witness the US and Israel’s war on Iran and its repercussions that I doubt either Netanyahu or Trump either thought or now care about; famine due to halting of fertiliser exports from the Gulf States, deliberate bombing of desalination plants and more.