The Center For Climate And Security

What The Center For Climate And Security does

The Center for Climate and Security (CCS) is a U.S.-based non-profit policy research institute founded in 2011 and operating as a program of the Council on Strategic Risks. It conducts research, policy engagement, and professional development at the intersection of climate change and national security, producing publications, policy briefs, scenario-based foresight exercises, and the MiRCH Tracker that documents military disaster-response missions. Its core differentiator is a 40-plus-member advisory board of retired U.S. and allied military generals, admirals, ambassadors, intelligence officials, and former humanitarian-agency heads that lends institutional credibility to its research and recommendations.

CCS's primary outputs include the multi-year Feeding Resilience Program (examining food, climate, and security), state-level climate security briefers for U.S. states, the Resource Hub archiving government climate-security documents, and foresight exercises co-hosted with universities. The organization engages directly with the U.S. Congress, the Department of Defense, the Intelligence Community, NATO, the EU, and allied governments through briefings, testimony, and convening events. All research is distributed free of charge via the Council on Strategic Risks website.

CCS's business model is non-commercial. It is funded through foundation grants (notably the John and James L. Knight Foundation for climate-security and disinformation work) and individual donations accepted via PayPal. Revenue is constrained by philanthropic cycles rather than commercial sales. The organization employs a small core staff (Director, Deputy Director, Senior Research Fellow are publicly identified) and relies on its advisory board for amplification. As of August 2025, CCS's standalone website was archived and active content was migrated to the parent Council on Strategic Risks platform, signaling organizational consolidation under the CSR umbrella while preserving the CCS blog and program identity.

Name

The Center For Climate And Security

Legal name

The Center for Climate & Security

Website

https://climateandsecurity.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Center for Climate and Security is a U.S. non-profit policy institute (founded 2011) that researches the security risks of climate change, serving U.S. and allied policymakers, military leaders, and international institutions through publications, scenario exercises, and direct briefings.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Grants and Foundation Support: The organization receives funding through grants from foundations such as the John and James L. Knight Foundation, which supports specific programs on climate security, mis/disinformation, and democratic governance.
2. Donations: The organization accepts donations through PayPal, indicating individual and organizational contributions support operations.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Center for Climate and Security (CCS) is a non-profit policy research institute that conducts analysis, policy engagement, and professional development on the climate-security nexus. It produces research reports, policy briefs, subnational state-level climate security briefers, scenario-based foresight exercises, webinars, and convenings targeted at U.S. government, military leaders, and international partners. CCS operates as an institute of the Council on Strategic Risks and provides its publications and resources free of charge to policymakers, researchers, and the public.

Product overview

The Center for Climate and Security (CCS) is a policy institute focused on analyzing the security risks of climate change. It is an institute of the Council on Strategic Risks. CCS operates as a research and analysis organization rather than a software product company, offering a portfolio of publications, research programs, and convening activities. Key offerings include the Feeding Resilience Program examining food-climate-security intersections, state-level climate security briefers, the Resource Hub archiving government documents on climate-security topics, the MiRCH Tracker documenting military disaster responses, Food Trade Chokepoints studies, state-level foresight exercises on climate and disinformation, and various policy publications and blog posts.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Feeding Resilience: A multi-year program focused on the nexus of climate change, food and agriculture, and global security and stability.
• Ecological Security Program (ESP)

Products and services

• Resource Hub An archived collection of government documents on the climate-security nexus, including resources from U.S. Government agencies, non-U.S. governments, and academic/NGO sources, serving policymakers, researchers, and the public.
• MiRCH (Military Responses to Climate Hazards) Tracker A research tracker documenting the growing tempo and scope of military disaster response missions related to climate hazards, used by defense planners, policymakers, and researchers to understand military climate adaptation needs.
• Feeding Resilience Program A multi-year program examining the intersection of food, climate, and national security, producing policy recommendations and country-specific case studies (e.g., Ethiopia) for governments, military leaders, and humanitarian agencies.
• State-Level Climate Security Briefers Subnational climate security analysis briefs for U.S. states (including Colorado, Hawaii, Washington, and South Carolina) examining risks to critical infrastructure and military bases, designed for state-level policymakers, emergency managers, and defense planners.
• State-Level Foresight Exercises Scenario-based workshops exploring climate, information manipulation, and security challenges at the state level, conducted in Florida (with University of Miami) and California (with Stanford Woods Institute), engaging state and local practitioners, emergency managers, and security professionals.
• Food Trade Chokepoints Study Strategic foresight analysis examining how climate, geopolitical, and security threats intersect at global food trade chokepoints and their implications for U.S. national security by 2040.
• Ecological Security Program (ESP) A CCS program focused on broader ecological security issues in the United States, producing analysis on environmental risks with national security implications.
• Climate Security and Misinformation Briefers Briefers on mis/disinformation and geoengineering at the intersection of climate security, examining how information manipulation undermines climate action and democratic governance, supported by the Knight Foundation.

Quantifiable outcome

• The Feeding Resilience Plan endorsed by 30+ retired generals, admirals, ambassadors, and former USAID/WFP heads
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Stanford Woods Institute for the EnvironmentcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 April 2026Co-hosted a state-level foresight exercise in California exploring the intersection of extreme weather, information manipulation, and security threats with a cross-section of state and local stakeholders.
• University of Miami Climate Resilience InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 December 2025Co-hosted a foresight exercise in Florida exploring climate, information manipulation, and national security challenges, bringing together expertise from local resilience, emergency management, national security, and communications.
• Kansas State UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 October 2025Partnered with K-State's College of Agriculture to host a day-long conference on food security, climate, and global stability as part of the Feeding Resilience program, with participation from military leaders and agricultural experts.
• Woodwell Climate Research CentercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 September 2025Published a case study on Ethiopia exploring intersecting security, food, and climate issues as part of the Feeding Resilience program, combining climate research with security analysis.
• Council on Strategic RiskscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCCS operates as an institute of the Council on Strategic Risks (CSR). As of August 2025, the CCS website serves as an archived resource and new content is hosted at councilonstrategicrisks.org/ccs/.
• International Military Council on Climate and Security (IMCCS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCCS is associated with the IMCCS, a body of military leaders addressing climate security. General Tom Middendorp, former Chief of Defence of the Netherlands, serves as Chair of IMCCS.
• NATO Climate Change and Security Centre of ExcellencecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCCS co-hosted a panel at the Munich Security Conference with NATO CCSS CoE and Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research on armed forces in a changing climate.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Atlantic Council: Major US global affairs think tank with significant climate-security programming through its Global Energy Center and adjacent programs, with comparable Congressional and defense audience access.
• Stimson Center: Foreign policy research institute covering climate, defense, and security issues including military environmental impacts, with an overlapping nonprofit research and convening model.
• The Wilson Center: Washington nonpartisan policy forum with an Environmental Security and Sustainability program that directly parallels CCS's climate-security mandate, drawing on similar scholarly and policy networks.
• Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS): Major bipartisan foreign policy think tank producing climate and energy security analysis with deep access to Congressional, DoD, and intelligence audiences similar to CCS's seat at the table.
• World Resources Institute (WRI): Global environmental research organization covering climate, energy, and risk; broader and stronger on physical climate science than security, but operating in the same grantee/funder coalition space.

Regional players

• Royal United Services Institute (RUSI): UK-based defense and security think tank producing dedicated climate-security research and convening defense audiences in Europe, comparable in function but operating from a non-US policy center.

Others

• International Military Council on Climate and Security (IMCCS): Affiliated network of senior military leaders addressing climate security, chaired by General Tom Middendorp. Closely tied to CCS through shared programs and content, operating as a partner rather than a competitor.

Direct peers

• Hague Center for Strategic Studies (HCSS): Dutch strategic studies think tank producing research at the climate-security-policy intersection with similar convening activities for defense and policy audiences in Europe.
• E3G: International climate diplomacy think tank that translates climate risks into security and policy implications for governments, with a comparable nonprofit convening and advisory function to CCS.
• Adelphi Research: Berlin-based think tank producing applied research at the climate-security, resource-conflict, and food-security nexus, operating a comparable international convening and publications model to CCS.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-center-for-climate-and-security

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about The Center For Climate And Security