Swathi Veeravalli on the Importance of Climate Security for US Strategic Interests

In today’s episode of New Security Broadcast, ECSP Program Director Lauren Risi sits down with Swathi Veeravalli on her last day as the Director for Climate Security and Adaptation at the National Security Council (NSC). Swathi has been one of the driving forces behind helping the US government better understand and respond to the connections between climate and security through her earlier work at the Army Corps of Engineers and AFRICOM and for the last two years at the NSC. 

In their conversation, Swathi describes the evolution of her role and the new US Framework for Climate Resilience and Security, its significance for the future of US security and economic interests, and what success in building climate security looks like over the next decade. Select quotes are featured below.