Integrating Climate Change into Brazil’s Defense Policy

Abstract

Climate change is increasingly recognized as a multidimensional threat to both human and state security, prompting governments to reconsider how to incorporate environmental risks into national defense strategies. Brazil presents a paradox in this context: while possessing exceptional environmental assets and playing an active role in global climate governance, it has also become a significant contributor to greenhouse gas emissions, largely driven by deforestation. Despite growing international attention to climate security, the integration of climate change into Brazilian defense policy remains limited. Although the 2025 revision of these documents introduced more substantive climate language, including explicit references to extreme weather events and national security implications, this discursive shift has not been accompanied by corresponding operational doctrine, clear objectives, or interinstitutional coordination mechanisms. This study argues that domestic political, institutional, and normative factors help explain the limited incorporation of climate change into Brazil’s defense frameworks. By examining Brazil as a case study, the analysis contributes to broader debates on climate security by illustrating how domestic governance dynamics shape the integration of environmental risks into defense policies in emerging economies. The findings highlight the need for more coherent and coordinated approaches to address the security implications of environmental change.