Australia facing climate disaster on its doorstep, government's white paper warns

Foreign policy paper says climate-related conflict and migration could put Australia's economic interests under pressure

Climate change is creating a disaster on Australia's doorstep, with environmental degradation and the demand for sustainable sources of food undermining stability in some countries, especially "fragile states", according to the Australian government's first foreign policy white paper in more than a decade.

The new white paper, released on Thursday, contains warnings over the disruptive effects of climate change in Australia's immediate region, noting that many small island states will be "severely affected in the long term", and the coming decade will see increased need for disaster relief.