July 5th, 2017

The US Department of Defense Believes in Climate Change

by Alex Hallatt

There are far too many people in the US who do not believe climate change is happening. The top brass in the US military are not among them. In 2015, the US Department of Defense released a report on the security implications of climate change. 

The report finds that climate change is a security risk, Pentagon officials said, because it degrades living conditions, human security and the ability of governments to meet the basic needs of their populations. Communities and states that already are fragile and have limited resources are significantly more vulnerable to disruption and far less likely to respond effectively and be resilient to new challenges, they added.

 

“The Department of Defense’s primary responsibility is to protect national security interests around the world,” officials said in a news release announcing the report’s submission. “This involves considering all aspects of the global security environment and planning appropriately for potential contingencies and the possibility of unexpected developments both in the near and the longer terms.

 

“It is in this context,” they continued, “that the department must consider the effects of climate change — such as sea level rise, shifting climate zones and more frequent and intense severe weather events — and how these effects could impact national security.”

You can read more about the report here: https://www.defense.gov/News/Article/Article/612710/