The United Nations Security Council has held its first-ever debate on climate change. British Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett said the U.N. must view global warming as an issue linked to international security.

Margaret Beckett: “Today is about the world recognizing that there is a security imperative as well as economic, developmental and environmental ones to tackling climate change, and for us to begin to build a shared understanding of the relationship between energy, climate and security.”

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon warned that global warming could lead to crisis around the world.

Ban Ki-moon: “Extreme weather events and natural disasters such as floods and drought increase the risk of humanitarian emergencies and thus the risk of instability and dislocation. Migration driven by factors such as climate change could deepen tensions and conflicts particularly in regions with large numbers of internally displaced persons and refugees.”

During the debate at the United Nations, Russia and China said the Security Council was not the right forum to debate climate change.