Climate Change and Armed Forces

expanding capabilities and building resilience through interagency operations

Abstract

This article aimed to analyze the Brazilian military capabilities to deal with natural disasters and health emergencies, specifically those that are increasing in frequency and intensity, claiming the lives of thousands of people annually due to the effects of climate change. Episodes have also occurred in Brazil, and the extreme climate event in Rio Grande do Sul (2024) alone claimed the lives of 183 people. In general, countries do not have resilience capacity and are unprepared to respond. Thus, the Armed Forces have been called upon to support other agencies in managing environmental crises. International experiences indicate the importance of developing operational capabilities in response to specific situations. With an exploratory, descriptive, and applied qualitative approach, the work used bibliographic and documentary research techniques. The existing and possible threats and capabilities to Brazil were characterized. The study analyzed international experiences related to resilience in the environmental context. The results allow us to indicate actions to strengthen resilience by improving interagency relations, joint training, and doctrinal standardization.