The European Union was the first international actor to realize the consequences of climate change and the impact it could have on European and global security. This process required decades of consistent study of climate risks, the development of measures to counteract environmental shocks and the conceptualization of climate security issues. With the adoption of the concept of strategic autonomy, the leadership of the European Union came to the conclusion that in order to become a full-fledged center of power in world politics, environmental security must be placed at the center of the common foreign, security and defence policy. This approach should include both theoretical innovative approaches and practical measures aimed at the systemic revival of climate and environmental security in Europe and beyond. The integration of climate security into the common security and defense strategy of the European Union has become a new and important area of its activity.

Acknowledgements. The article was prepared within the project “Post-crisis world order: challenges and technologies, competition and cooperation” supported by the grant from Ministry of Science and Higher Education of Russia program for research projects in priority areas of scientific and technological development (Agreement № 075-15-2020-783).