Montreal has been chosen to host a future NATO research center that will specialize in issues related to climate and its impact on geopolitics and security.
The NATO Center of Excellence for Climate Change and Security was the brainchild of Justin Trudeau’s government, which last year offered to host such an institution.
The announcement came as the prime minister was in Madrid, Spain, for a NATO summit where allied nations agreed to increase their military presence tenfold as a deterrent against Russia.
“The Center will guide our work, for example, to protect people from extreme weather conditions. We will also be able to collaborate to minimize the climatic effects of the military operations themselves,” said Mr. Trudeau during a press briefing held before heading back later in the day.
“It is undeniable that climate change poses a threat to NATO countries and to the whole world. We must therefore increase our efforts to protect the environment,” added the Prime Minister.
The exact date of the inauguration of the center nor the number of employees who will contribute to it is not known at this stage.
“The metropolis’s leadership in the fight against climate change attracts players in the ecological transition from all over the world,” celebrated the mayoress of Montreal, Valérie Plante, on Thursday.
Prime Minister Trudeau also reiterated that his government is committed to increasing its military presence in Latvia. The personnel on the spot should become a brigade able to take up arms quickly to engage in combat.
He also announced the dispatch of 39 light armored vehicles and six military cameras to Ukraine. The material will be entirely manufactured in Canada. Cameras are made for use with drones.