The politics of climate security in France

An increasing number of defence actors now recognize climate change as a security issue. While existing climate security literature has extensively examined how these actors frame this issue and develop responses, less attention has been given to the factors enabling their engagement. Why do some defence actors embrace this agenda, while others do not? This article addresses this gap by investigating the engagement of France’s Ministry for Armed Forces with climate security from 2011 to 2023. The findings show that this engagement was enabled primarily by political and administrative concerns, rather than geographic or climatic characteristics. Using a hybrid theoretical framework and drawing on sociological inquiries alongside interdisciplinary literature, the article distinguishes three categories of enabling factors: international political dynamics, domestic incentives, and institutional specificities. The study highlights the politicization of climate security and demonstrates the value of hybrid interdisciplinary approaches in analyzing this evolving policy domain.