Resilient Defence: Climate-Smart Investments on the Road to 5%
About the Montréal Climate Security Summit
The Montréal Climate Security Summit is an annual international event co-organized by the NATO Climate Change and Security Centre of Excellence (CCASCOE) and the Conference of Defence Associations (CDA) Institute. It is the leading forum for the global climate, defence and security community, bringing together defence industry stakeholders —from prime contractors to start-ups—military leaders, defence policymakers, scientific experts, international organizations, and civil society representatives. At the Summit, experts forge new relationships and nurture established ones, and ideas emerge and develop into joint projects that extend beyond the event itself.
Every year, the conversation evolves to address the most pressing issues, drawing on this rich community of practice to share lessons learned, foster innovation, and seize opportunities for armed forces and defence institutions to adapt to the impacts of climate change while reducing their own environmental footprint.
This fifth edition of the Summit, Resilient Defence: Climate-Smart Investments on the Road to 5%, will take place on October 15-16, 2026, in Montréal, Canada. It will convene civil and military decision-makers and senior representatives from governments and NATO—including those setting standards and requirements for historic new investments in defence— as well as international organizations, civil society, and industry. Together, they will examine how strengthening the ability of armed forces to operate under changing climate conditions can enhance operational readiness, reinforce collective energy security, reduce emissions, and support a strong defence industrial base. Because most of the military capabilities procured today will be operating for the next 30 to 50 years, it is essential that procurement decisions be informed by climate data and that industry—supported by governments—be empowered to develop competitive, resilient, and lower-emission solutions to growing climate and energy challenges.
Key Themes
Through plenary panels, workshops, roundtables, and wargames, the Summit will explore the following themes:
- Climate-Resilience Metrics and Standards for Defence Procurement
- Financing and Costing Climate-Smart Defence
- Climate Intelligence in Defence Planning
- Defence Industrial Strategies and Innovation Ecosystems
- Critical Minerals and Clean Energy Supply Chains
- Climate-Resilient Infrastructure, Bases, and Next-Generation Technologies
- Health, Resilience, and Readiness of Military Personnel in Extreme Environments
- Operational Energy and Mission Resilience
- Public-Private and Community Partnerships, Dual-Use Technology, and Co-Development of Solutions for Societal Resilience
Meet the Speakers
Major-General J.J.L.N. Pilon, MSM, CD
Chief of Staff – Infrastructure and Environment,
Canadian Armed Forces
H.E. Hanne Ulrichsen
Ambassador of Norway to Canada,
Royal Norwegian Embassy
Matko Barišic
Challenge Manager
NATO DIANA
Brigadier Tim Symonds OBE
Head Productivity and Sustainability,
British Army
PJ Akeeagok
Founder and President,
Arctic Strategies Inc.
Michael Hosken
Civil Defence R&D Program Manager,
Defence Research and Development Canada
Eva Cohen
Founder and President,
Civil Protection Youth Canada (CPYC)
The Hon. John Conger
Director Emeritus,
The Center for Climate and Security
Jonathon Monken
Senior Partner,
Converge Strategies
Gregory W. Ivey, MSM, CD
Director of Armaments and Major Capability Programmes Defence Industry, Innovation and Armaments Division, NATO
Sherri Goodman
Secretary General, International Military Council on Climate and Security
Dr. Louise van Schaik
Head of Unit EU & Global Affairs
Clingendael
Lennard de Klerk
Lead Author, Initiative on GHG accounting of war
Zhanna Patsora
Director, Center for Strategic Communications and Regional Studies Development
Olena Shevchenko
Research Director, Center for Strategic Communications and Regional Studies Development
Dr. Christine Nam
Senior Climate Scientist,
Climate Service Center Germany
Leah Emanuel
Senior Associate, Converge Strategies, LLC
Marie Sophie Mayer
Consultant,
BwConsulting
Ellie Kinney
Senior Climate Advocacy Officer,
The Conflict and Environment Observatory
Caroline Baxter
Director,
Converging Risks Labs
Aleksis Oreschnikoff
Research Affiliate,
Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Center
Paul Rushton
Senior Policy Officer,
NATO’s Defence Policy and Planning (DDP) Division
Jean-Nicolas Paquin
Vice President, Electrical Engineering and Expertise,
OPAL-RT Technologies
Dr. Heather Grabbe
Senior Fellow,
Bruegel
James Panther
Senior Analyst,
Defence Science and Technology Laboratory
Joss Garman
Founder and Executive Director,
Loom Strategy Center
Sylvia Stojilkovic
Managing Partner
Cleantech & Energy International
Colonel Frédéric Tournay
Controller, Head of the European and International Relations Mission
DGSCGC, Ministry of the Interior
Iris Ferguson
President and Founder,
IAF Strategies
Ross Franklin
Engineering Manager-Sustainability,
Material Group Environmental Program Office
Bastien Alex
Senior Advisor for Climate of the Vice Chief of the Defense Staff
José Antonio Coll
Head of sustainability,
Airbus Defence and Space
Marc Caroll Dupuis
Vice President, Defence Industrial Strategy & Partnerships
Arctech Accelerate
Jean-Baptiste Filippi
Research Director,
CNRS
Dr. Marie-Pierre Ippersiel
President and CEO
PRIMA Québec
Agenda
Day 1 – Oct. 15: Enabling the Investment Shift: Policy, Governance & Industrial Ecosystems
08:00 – 09:00
Registration, Welcome Coffee & Exhibition Booths
09:00 – 09:10
Welcome Remarks
Mathieu Bussières
Director, NATO Climate Change and Security Centre of Excellence
Dr. Gaëlle Rivard Piché
Executive Director, Conference of Defence Associations Institute
Morning – Theme 1: Strategic Context and Investment Governance
09:10 –10:15
Plenary Panel 1
The State of Climate Security in Defence Investment Planning: Risk, Strategic Competition, and Priorities
Her Excellency Hanne Ulrichsen
Ambassador of the Kingdom of Norway to Canada
Brigadier Tim Symonds OBE
Head, Productivity & Sustainability & Director, Climate Change and Sustainability Programme, British Army
Dr. Kirsty Lewis
Climate Science Fellow, Met Office
Gregory W. Ivey, MSM, CD
Director, Armaments and Major Capability Programmes, NATO, D2IA
Swathi Veeravalli
Adjunct Faculty, Georgetown University
10:15 – 10:30
Keynote Remarks
Toward a Sustainable 5%: Governing Climate-Smart Defence Investment Across NATO — A Norwegian Perspective
Her Excellency Hanne Ulrichsen
Ambassador of the Kingdom of Norway to Canada
10:30 – 11:00
Coffee Break
11:00 – 12:10
Plenary Panel 2
Climate-Smart Defence Industry: Scaling Capacity and Innovation Across the Alliance
Rafal Rybacki
EIB Representative to the United Nations, European Investment Bank
Dr. Matko Barišic
Challenge Manager, NATO DIANA
P.J. Akeeagok
Founder & President, Arctic Strategies Inc.
Marc Caroll Dupuis
Vice President – Defence Industrial Strategy & Partnerships, Senior Defence Advisor, Arctech Accelerate
Dr. Louise van Schaik
Head of Unit EU and Global Affairs, Clingendael Institute
12:10 – 13:30
Lunch
Afternoon – Breakout Sessions: Governance and Industry
13:30 – 15:00
Breakout Sessions – Part 1
“Built Once, Used Twice: The Industrial Case for Cross-Domain Investment”
Roundtable by Loom Strategy Centre (Loom)
Iris Ferguson
President & Founder, IAF Strategies
Sylvia Stojilkovic
Senior Fellow, Loom Strategy Centre
Marc Caroll Dupuis
Vice President – Defence Industrial Strategy & Partnerships, Senior Defence Advisor, Arctech Accelerate
Joss Garman
Executive Director, Loom Strategy Center
"From Awareness to Action: Embedding Climate Resilience in Defence Investment and Procurement"
Roundtable by DG CLIMA Unit E.1 & the European External Action Service (EEAS)
Ambassador Anthony Agotha
Ambassador at Large – Special Envoy for Climate and Energy Security, European External Action Service
Brigadier Tim Symonds OBE
Head, Productivity & Sustainability & Director, Climate Change and Sustainability Programme, British Army
Dr Heather Grabbe
Senior Fellow, Bruegel Institute
Mr. Jean-François Juneau
Acting Senior Director, Defence Industrial Strategy Team, Department of National Defence, Government of Canada
“What Counts? Identifying Climate-Smart Security Investments for NATO’s 5% Framework”
Workshop by The International Military Council on Climate and Security
Sherri Goodman
Secretary General, International Military on Climate and Security
Caroline Baxter
Director, Converging Risks Lab, The Council on Strategic Risks
The Hon. John Conger
Director Emeritus, Center for Climate and Security
“Setting the standards for climate security: driving action through data-driven and interoperable analysis”
Roundtable by UK Dstl, UK Met Office & NATO CCASCOE
James Panther
Senior Capability Resilience Analyst, Dstl
Rob van Waas
Applied Researcher, TNO
Sarah Rayfield
Manager, Canadian Centre for Climate Services, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Government of Canada
Paul Rushton
Policy Officer, Defence Enablement & Resilience Directorate, NATO HQ
15:00 – 15:30
Coffee Break
15:30 – 16:30
Breakout Sessions – Part 2
“Critical Minerals, Critical Partnerships: Aligning security, industrial development and the energy transition”
Roundtable by E3G
Mahnaz Khan
Vice President of Policy for Critical Supply Chains, Silverado Policy Accelerator
Dr. Louise van Schaik
Head of Unit EU and Global Affairs, Clingendael Institute
Andrew Ghattas
Senior Director, Critical Minerals Centre of Excellence, NRCan
Ambassador Anthony Agotha
Ambassador at Large – Special Envoy for Climate and Energy Security, European External Action Service
Travis Brubaker
Senior Policy Advisor, E3G
“Operational Energy as Operational Advantage: Climate-Smart Defence Investments in Practice”
Workshop by BwConsulting – The Inhouse Consultancy of the German Armed Forces
Marie Sophie Mayer
Consultant, BwConsulting – The In-house Consultancy of the German Armed Forces
Katrin Eckelkamp
Principal, BwConsulting – The In-house Consultancy of the German Armed Forces
Cont’d “What Counts? Identifying Climate-Smart Security Investments for NATO’s 5% Framework”
Workshop by The International Military Council on Climate and Security
Caroline Baxter
Director, Converging Risks Lab, The Council on Strategic Risks
The Honourable John Conger
Director Emeritus, Center for Climate and Security
Cont’d “Setting the standards for climate security: driving action through data-driven and interoperable analysis”
Workshop by UK Dstl, UK Met Office & NATO CCASCOE
Dr. Christine Nam
Senior Climate Scientist, Climate Service Center Germany
Penny Beames
Water and Geopolitics Analyst, Global Water Security Center
Teah Lizee
Physical Science Specialist, Canadian Center for Climate Services, Environment and Climate Change Canada
Andrea Lira Loarca
Climate Scientist, NATO Centre for Maritime Research and Experimentation
16:35 – 17:20
Recap - Day 1
Yassira Benabed
Training Officer, Education and Training Branch, CCASCOE
Pauline Baudu
Programme Director – Resilience and Sustainable Defence, CDA Institute
17:20 – 17:25
Closing Remarks
17:30 – 19:00
Reception
Day 2 – Oct. 16: Investing in the Future Forces: Capabilities, People & Delivery
08:00 – 09:00
Registration, Welcome Coffee & Exhibition Booths
09:00 – 09:05
Opening Remarks
Pauline Baudu
Programme Director – Resilience and Sustainable Defence, CDA Institute
Yassira Benabed
Training Officer, Education and Training Branch, CCASCOE
Morning – Theme: Human and Operational Readiness
09:05 – 09:25
Keynote Remarks
Major-General J.J.L.N Pilon
Chief of Staff – Infrastructure and Environment, Canadian Armed Forces
09:25 – 9:35
Keynote Remarks
09:35 –10:35
Plenary Panel 3
Building Operational and Human Readiness under Climate Stress: Which Investment Priorities?
Paul Rushton
Policy Officer, Defence Enablement & Resilience Directorate, NATO HQ
Caroline Baxter
Director, Converging Risks Lab, The Council on Strategic Risks
Colonel Frédéric Tournay
General Controller; Head of the European and International Relations Mission, Directorate General for Civil Security and Crisis Management, Ministry of the Interior, France
Élise Godin
Director of Environment and Sustainable Development, Assistant Deputy Minister (Infrastructure and Environment), Department of National Defence
José Antonio Coll
Head of Sustainability, Airbus Defence and Space
Iris Ferguson
President & Founder, IAF Strategies
10:35 – 11:05
Coffee Break
11:05 – 12:20
Breakout Sessions – Part 1
“Low-carbon pathways on the road to 5%”
Roundtable by The Conflict and Environment Observatory & Initiative on GHG Accounting of War
Lennard de Klerk
Lead author of the Initiative on GHG accounting of war
Ellie Kinney
Senior Climate Advocacy Officer, The Conflict and Environment Observatory
Dr. Tamiris Santos
Ross Franklin
Engineering Manager–Sustainability, Materiel Group, Environmental Program Office, Canadian Department of National Defence
Linda Farinaccio
Senior Director, Market Development, Accurant International
“Facing Megafires: Capability and Doctrinal Challenges for the Defence Community”
Roundtable by the French Ministry of Armed Forces, Joint Defence Staff
Jean-Baptiste Filippi
Research Fellow, Centre national de la recherche scientifique (CNRS)
Olivier Chalvet
Senior New Business Manager, Airbus Defence and Space
Colonel Frédéric Tournay
General Controller; Head of the European and International Relations Mission, Directorate General for Civil Security and Crisis Management, Ministry of the Interior, France
Bastien Alex
Senior Climate Advisor to the Vice Chief of the Defense Staff, French Ministry of Armed Forces
"The Readiness Dividend: Red-Teaming and Building Citizen-based Volunteer Civil Protection as a Climate-Smart Defence Investment"
Workshop by Defence Research and Development Canada (DRDC), Department of National Defence & Civil Protection Youth Canada (CPYC)
Eva Cohen
Founder & President, Civil Protection Youth Canada (CPYC)
Michael Hosken
Civil Defence R&D Program Manager, Defence Research and Development Canada
"Maintaining Durability: Arctic Maritime Security Infrastructures in increasingly Uncertain Environments"
Workshop by the Harvard Arctic Initiative of the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard Kennedy School & Converge Strategies
Leah Emanuel
Senior Associate, Converge Strategies
Aleksis Oreschnikoff
Research Affiliate, Harvard’s Belfer Center
Jonathon Monken
Senior Partner, Converge Strategies
12:20 – 13:40
Lunch
Afternoon – Breakout Sessions: Capabilities and Implementation
13:40 – 14:55
Breakout Sessions – Part 2
"Resilient Energy Systems for Defence and Civil Security: Climate-Proofing Power Generation and Distribution"
Roundtable by Institut AdapT, École de technologie supérieure
Veronica Owens
Market Leader – Energy & Sustainability, Property & Buildings, WSP
Dr. Arezki Merkhouf
Senior Researcher, Hydro Québec Research Institute
Alexandre Prieur
CanmetENERGY Varennes, NRCan
Jean-Nicolas Paquin
Vice President, Electrical Engineering and Expertise, OPAL-RT Technologies
Andres Mercado-Salomon, ing, P.Eng, M. Sc.
Regional Energy Officer/ Real Property Ops, Québec, National Defence / Government of Canada
Prof. Kamal Al-Haddad
Professor, École de Technologie Supérieure (ÉTS)
“Climate security in the context of hybrid threats: Ukraine’s experience of information resilience and risk communication”
Roundtable by the Centre for the Development of Strategic Communications and Regional Studies (Ukraine)
Zhanna Patsora
Director, Center for Strategic Communications and Regional Studies Development
Dr. Olena Shevchenko
Research Director, Center for Strategic Communications and Regional Studies Development
“Wargaming, Climate Security and Climate Adaptation”
Workshop by Archipelago of Design
Dr. Philippe Beaulieu-Brossard
Archipelago of Design, Canadian Forces College (CFC)
Dr. Oliver Jones
Archipelago of Design
Kassie Miedema
Archipelago of Design
Hailey Cooperrider
The Adaptation Game (TAG)
Ben Pederick
The Adaptation Game (TAG)
Scott DeJong
SSRHC Postdoctoral Scholar, McGill University
(Cont’d) "Maintaining Durability: Arctic Maritime Security Infrastructures in Increasingly Uncertain Environments"
Dr. Olena Shevchenko
Research Director, Center for Strategic Communications and Regional Studies Development
14:55 – 15:20
Coffee Break
15:20 – 16:05
Recap - Day 2
Yassira Benabed
Training Officer, Education and Training Branch, CCASCOE
Pauline Baudu
Programme Director – Resilience and Sustainable Defence, CDA Institute
16:05 – 16:20
Closing Keynote
Delivering Climate-Smart Capabilities Through Partnerships and Innovation
Dr. Marie-Pierre Ippersiel
President and Chief Executive Officer, PRIMA Québec
16:20 – 16:25
Closing Remarks
Mathieu Bussières
Director, NATO Climate Change and Security Centre of Excellence
Dr. Gaëlle Rivard Piché
Executive Director, Conference of Defence Associations Institute
About the Organizers
The Montréal Climate Security Summit has been co-hosted by the NATO Climate Change and Security Centre of Excellence (CCASCOE) and the Conference of Defence Associations (CDA) Institute since 2024. The first two editions were led by the CDA Institute. With the establishment of the CCASCOE in Montréal in 2023, the two organizations have joined forces to create a landmark venue for the global climate, defence, and security community.
The NATO Climate Change and Security Centre of Excellence
The NATO Climate Change and Security Centre of Excellence (CCASCOE), established in Montréal, Canada, in 2023, is one of the 30 Centres of Excellence accredited to NATO. It received its accreditation to NATO in May 2024. Twelve NATO member countries contribute to the Centre as Sponsoring Nations: Canada (Framework Nation), Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Latvia, Luxembourg, Norway, Romania, Türkiye and the United Kingdom. CCASCOE’s efforts support the implementation of the NATO Climate Change and Security Action Plan and contribute to NATO’s overall military readiness, deterrence and defence posture. To achieve its objectives, CCASCOE’s mission is based on four pillars: Increasing Allied awareness of the security implications of climate change; Adapting to the impacts of climate change across NATO and beyond; Mitigating NATO’s impact on climate change while preserving and strengthening our military effectiveness and interoperability; and conducting outreach and strengthening cooperation with a wide range of stakeholders.
The Conference of Defence Associations Institute
The CDA Institute is Canada’s premier defence and security think tank, established in 1987 by the Conference of Defence Associations (CDA), founded in 1932. The CDA brings together 45 member associations representing over 400,000 active and retired members of the Canadian Armed Forces, as well as Canadians with close ties to national defence and security. As the first dedicated programme of its kind in a Canadian defence think tank, the CDA Institute’s Climate Security Programme (CSP) positions the Institute at the forefront of efforts to understand and address the intersections between climate change and Canadian security and defence. The CSP aims to inform the national debate on climate security; advance interdisciplinary approaches by strengthening the Canadian climate-security community of practitioners, scholars, policymakers and industry stakeholders; and support the development of practical solutions to mitigate and adapt to the emerging defence and security challenges shaped by climate change.
