Ecosystem Collapse Threatens UK National Security, Spy Chiefs Warn

Britain faces a national security crisis within just a few years due to the impending collapse of global ecosystems, spy chiefs have warned, but the government is refusing to publish their report in full. 

A redacted 14-page document warns of severe food shortages, which could begin within five years, along with price rises, political destabilisation and the possible outbreak of war as countries compete for dwindling resources.   

Crop failures, disease outbreaks and intensifying natural disasters could cause “geopolitical instability, economic insecurity, conflict, migration and increased inter-state competition for resources”, it said.

The joint intelligence committee, which oversees M15 and MI6, was responsible for the report, the Guardian reported. Members of parliament are demanding it be published in full.

At at a hearing for the environmental audit committee on Wednesday, Mary Creagh, an environment minister, told MPs the redacted report should provide enough information. The redacted contents were obtained through repeated freedom of information requests in January.   

Labour MP Chris Hinchliff suggested at the hearing that action on the climate emergency was not given the same urgency as increasing the budget for military spending.

“The government can summon billions of pounds for new military hardware when the defence sector calls for it,” he said. “We need an equally decisive mobilisation of investment to restore the natural world on which we rely for our food, water and clean air. Without these essentials our country has no future.”

He added: “Every critical ecosystem across our planet is on a pathway to collapse with an irreversible loss of function, and this poses huge threats to our national security. This looming crisis demands urgent action.”