Climate change poses a major threat to future peace and security, a senior UN official has warned.

一位联合国高级官员警告道，气候变化是未来的和平和安全的一大主要威胁。

Achim Steiner from the UN Environment Programme said climate change would also "exponentially（以指数方式地） " increase the scale of natural disasters.

His comments followed a UN declaration of famine in parts of Somalia.

Meanwhile, Russia rejected a Security Council statement backed by Western nations which asserted the link, but later agreed to a weaker text.

The Russian envoy¹ Alexander Pankin said he was sceptical about the implications of putting climate change on the security council's agenda.

Security Council members finally agreed to a text which spoke² of the "possible security implications" of climate change.

'Expediential growth'

Mr Steiner warned that an increase in the frequency of natural disasters across the globe could prove a major challenge in the coming decades.

He said recent crises, such as in Somalia, illustrate³ that "our capacity to handle these kinds of events is proving a challenge, particularly if they occur simultaneously⁴ and start affecting, for instance, global food markets, regional food security issues, displacing people, creating refugees across borders".

"Clearly the international community - if the scenarios⁵ in climate change for the future come true - will face an expediential（权宜之计的） growth of these kinds of extreme events," he added.

His comments came as the Security Council formally debated the environment for the first time in four years, with Germany pressing for the first-ever council statement linking climate change to global peace and security.

Diplomats⁶ said there were intense negotiations⁷ between Germany and Russia, which initially⁸ opposed any council action, before a statement on the issue was agreed to.

Speaking as negotiations were continuing, Mr Pankin argued that the move was unnecessary and opposed by many countries.

"We believe that involving the Security Council in a regular review of the issue of climate change will not bring any added value whatsoever⁹（无论什么） and will merely lead to further increased politicisation of this issue and increased disagreements between countries," he said.

However US Ambassador Susan Rice said that the council had an "essential responsibility to address the clear-cut peace and security implications of a changing climate" and said all countries should be demanding action.

She also called failed attempts to reach consensus¹⁰（一致，舆论） earlier in the day "pathetic" and "shortsighted".