Atlantic Centre hosts maritime security course on climate change challenges

The Atlantic Centre's V Maritime Security Course kicks off today at São Miguel Island, Azores, addressing Climate Change and Security Challenges in the Atlantic. The five-day event runs from June 2-6, 2025, bringing together experts from 25 member states to tackle one of the most pressing transnational threats facing the Atlantic community.

The course is organized in partnership with the Luso-American Development Foundation (FLAD), Portugal's National Defence Institute, the United Nations Institute for Training and Research, the Gulf of Guinea Maritime Institute in Accra, and the Policy Center for the New South in Rabat.

A key highlight of the course's programme is the Panel on Emerging Technologies & Extreme Weather Events, featuring Mafalda Carapuço, Deputy Executive Director of the AIR Centre, alongside Navy Captain Luís Costa Cabral (Deputy Coordinator at Atlantic Centre), Dr. Josué Barão (Business Development at Tekever), Dr. Luca Longo (TEDx Speaker and Artificial Intelligence Expert from Technological University Dublin), and Eng. Arturo Ojeda Demaria (ICT Specialist at the United Nations Department of Operational Support). The panel will explore how technological innovations can address climate-induced security challenges across the Atlantic basin.

Climate change presents multidimensional challenges encompassing political, legal, economic, and security risks. With 2024 marking the warmest year on record and extreme weather events increasing globally, the course addresses critical issues including Arctic ice reduction opening new maritime routes, coastal infrastructure adaptation needs, and climate-induced migration patterns.

The Atlantic Centre developed this specialized curriculum after consulting all member states, recognizing climate change as a whole-of-Atlantic threat requiring coordinated international response. Participants will examine how climate change is reshaping military doctrine, international legal frameworks, and maritime security strategies across the Atlantic region.