NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg on Friday said the alliance must focus on climate change even as it contends with fortifying its defenses against aggression from the Kremlin.

At the U.N. Climate Change Conference in Dubai, Mr. Stoltenberg said a clear link exists between a nation’s security and climate change, which he called a “crisis multiplier.” [emphasis, links added]

“It forces people to move. Migratory flows are increasing because of climate change. But it also increases competition for scarce resources,” Mr. Stoltenberg said. “In that way, climate change is actually fueling conflict, and conflict matters for NATO and for our security.”