Climate change an ‘increasing threat to democracy’, study finds
Elections around the world are increasingly affected by natural hazards such as heatwaves and hurricanes, with climate change posing a rising threat to democracy, according to a report.
The Managing Natural Hazards and Climate Risks in Elections report, released by the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA) on 22 April, finds that at least 94 elections across 52 countries were disrupted by natural hazards between 2006 and 2025, affecting millions of voters.
It is “a statistical fact that elections will more frequently be affected by natural hazards in future years,” the analysis found, noting that the number of major natural hazards has tripled over the past four decades.
“Election management bodies have always had to cope with natural hazards, but the threat posed by such phenomena has become more apparent in recent years.”
The findings represent one of the most comprehensive assessments to date on how environmental crises are impacting the electoral process.
During the 2024 “super-cycle year” of elections, 23 primary, local, national, and supranational polls across 18 countries were disrupted by natural hazards, including in Brazil, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Nigeria, Senegal, the United States, and Canada.
The disruptions included power outages, destroyed infrastructure, voter displacement, and last-minute procedural changes.
The report also stressed that no democracy is immune, despite institutional differences and varying levels of resilience, and that wealthy countries have seen election schedule disruptions as a result of floods, wildfires, and extreme heat.
Read more: Climate change disrupts education of 130 million children in Africa, report finds
Call to implement disaster planning into electoral management
International IDEA is calling on electoral authorities to implement disaster planning into routine election management rather than relying on reactive emergency procedures.
“The aim of the report is to provide an overview and share various strategies that can be used to protect elections from adverse effects,” it said. These include improved contingency planning, coordination with disaster-management agencies, and reassessing the timing of elections to avoid predictable hazards.
The report “is updated on a continuous basis”, International IDEA said, and is it encouraging election officials, researchers and civil society groups to contribute to ongoing dialogue on election resilience.
Read more: Adaptation efforts should be driven from the centre, climate advisers tell UK government
About Annalee Card
Annalee is a St. Lawrence University student perusing a degree in Business & Digital Media with a minor in Sports Studies & Exercise Science. As part of the St. Lawrence London Program, Annalee is interning with Global Government Forum where she supports event coordination and media initiatives. She has previously gained experience working with organizations like the Northeastern New York PGA and Blood Cancer United. She is a dual sport athlete competing on both the St. Lawrence NCAA DIII women's golf and field hockey teams.
