Climate change impacts security: TU Delft opens new research hub

The Delft University of Technology (TU Delft) officially launched the Climate Safety & Security Center (CaSS) at its Campus The Hague last week. This new research hub aims to bridge the gap between technical engineering and national governance, seeking solutions to the climate crisis. 

Under the leadership of Scientific Director Professor Behnam Taebi, the center focuses on the risks posed by climate change to the secure supply of essential resources. This perspective acknowledges that environmental shifts can trigger cascading failures in modern systems, leading to social unrest or geopolitical instability. By applying an engineering lens to security—a field traditionally dominated by political science—CaSS fills a critical gap in current academic discourse.

“Climate change is not a future threat, but a daily reality: a security risk that is already at our doorstep and entering our homes,” stated Taebi in his opening speech. Across Europe and beyond, the effects of climate change are already disrupting lives and critical infrastructure daily. “The question is no longer whether the climate is changing, but how well prepared we are to remain safe, stable, and resilient in a changing climate.”

The five pillars of strategic autonomy

The research agenda at the CaSS is organized around five core flagships: Water Security, Food Security, Energy Security, Materials Security, and Human Security. These pillars represent the essential systems required for a functioning modern state.

The center aims to host approximately 30 researchers who will work across these disciplines to identify and mitigate climate-related risks. A primary focus of these flagships is the management of 'cascading effects,' in which a failure in one sector, such as energy, triggers breakdowns in others, such as water purification or food distribution. This transdisciplinary model integrates technical engineering with social equity to ensure that solutions are resilient and fair.

By focusing on these specific domains, the center provides a technical roadmap for maintaining strategic autonomy in an era of environmental instability. The researchers look beyond immediate weather events to study long-term structural risks to global supply chains, ensuring that future infrastructure can withstand both predictable shifts and sudden environmental shocks.

Climate change as a security risk

Climate change, Taebi continued, has become a security issue. “It threatens the security of supply of water, food and energy, as well as our infrastructure and raw materials — in the Netherlands, Europe and worldwide.” When these systems come under pressure, for example, due to drought or flooding, the consequences are far-reaching.

Moreover, climate stress and geopolitical tensions reinforce one another. Climate impacts increase vulnerability and instability, whilst conflicts and geopolitical pressure actually reduce our ability to adapt. Together, they form a dangerous cocktail for our security. “That is why it is important to understand climate change as a development that directly affects our security, resilience, and autonomy in the Netherlands and Europe."