Ex-Military Brass Say Climate Change Affects National Security

Global warming, greenhouse gases and Al Gore’s Oscar rarely get treated as anything other than a matter of prosperity versus conservation for its own sake. A new report from the CNA Corporation, a private think-tank, brings a national security dimension to the discussion. Written by six retired admirals and five retired generals, National Security and the Threat of Climate Change “explores ways projected climate change is a threat multiplier in already fragile regions, exacerbating conditions that lead to failed states — the breeding grounds for extremism and terrorism.”

The big question for the last several years has been whether global warming is actually happening. Recent studies by others suggest that there’s a 90% probability that it’s happening and that it is the result of human actions. The CNA’s military experts skip that question on the grounds that the job of the top levels of the military is to assess risk and provide responses appropriate to their training. The authors say, “we do not attempt to tie our findings regarding security implications to any one particular projection of future temperature changes, precipitation changes, or sea level rise whether due to ocean expansion or ice sheet breakup. Rather, our goal is to articulate the possible security implications of climate change and to consider mitigating steps the nation could take as part of an overall national security plan.”

The 11 luminaries recommend that:

• "The national security consequences of climate change should be fully integrated into national security and national defense strategies.
• The U.S. should commit to a stronger national and international role to help stabilize climate changes at levels that will avoid significant disruption to global security and stability.
• The U.S. should commit to global partnerships that help less developed nations build the capacity and resiliency to better manage climate impacts.
• The Department of Defense [DoD] should enhance its operational capability by accelerating the adoption of improved business processes and innovative technologies that result in improved U.S. combat power through energy efficiency.
• DoD should conduct an assessment of the impact on US military installations worldwide of rising sea levels, extreme weather events, and other possible climate change impacts over the next thirty to forty years."