It's hard to imagine that James Inhofe, the Senator from Global-Warming-Is-a-Hoax, Oklahoma, didn't furiously ring up Admiral Michael Mullen all day Monday after the Pentagon released its Quadrennial Defense Review. For four-and-a-half pages, the QDR focuses on climate change in a way that is no real surprise to those who have followed what many generals and admirals have been thinking lately. At SolveClimate, Stacy Feldman writes:
The U.S. military could soon be drawing up disaster-response plans to prepare for global warming-caused crises, such as rising sea levels and extreme weather events, according to the Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR), published on Monday along with President Obama's defense budget for 2011.
The mention of climate change is a first for the Congress-mandated QDR, released every four years to shape the nation's defense.
"Although they produce distinct types of challenges, climate change, energy security, and economic stability are inextricably linked," the QDR authors wrote.
The reference suggests a strong consensus is emerging within the defense community concerning the national security implications of a warming planet. Yet it arrives at a time of considerable challenges for climate advocates in America, with both the U.S. Senate and President Obama appearing to be backing down from a House-approved cap-and-trade law this year.
The QDR states:
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2-megawatt solar installation at the Fort Carson Army base in Colorado provides electricity to 540 homes. |
Climate change will affect DoD in two broad ways. First, climate change will shape the operating environment, roles, and missions that we undertake. The U.S. Global Change Research Program, composed of 13 federal agencies, reported in 2009 that climate-related changes are already being observed in every region of the world, including the United States and its coastal waters. Among these physical changes are increases in heavy downpours, rising temperature and sea level, rapidly retreating glaciers, thawing permafrost, lengthening growing seasons, lengthening ice-free seasons in the oceans and on lakes and rivers, earlier snowmelt, and alterations in river flows.
Assessments conducted by the intelligence community indicate that climate change could have significant geopolitical impacts around the world, contributing to poverty, environmental degradation, and the further weakening of fragile governments. Climate change will contribute to food and water scarcity, will increase the spread of disease, and may spur or exacerbate mass migration.
While climate change alone does not cause conflict, it may act as an accelerant of instability or conflict, placing a burden to respond on civilian institutions and militaries around the world. In addition, extreme weather events may lead to increased demands for defense support to civil authorities for humanitarian assistance or disaster response both within the United States and overseas. In some nations, the military is the only institution with the capacity to respond to a large-scale natural disaster. Proactive engagement with these countries can help build their capability to respond to such events. Working closely with relevant U.S. departments and agencies, DoD has undertaken environmental security cooperative initiatives with foreign militaries that represent a nonthreatening way of building trust, sharing best practices on installations management and operations, and developing response capacity.
Second, DoD will need to adjust to the impacts of climate change on our facilities and military capabilities. The Department already provides environmental stewardship at hundreds of DoD installations throughout the United States and around the world, working diligently to meet resource efficiency and sustainability goals as set by relevant laws and executive orders. Although the United States has significant capacity to adapt to climate change, it will pose challenges for civil society and DoD alike, particularly in light of the nation’s extensive coastal infrastructure.
In 2008, the National Intelligence Council judged that more than 30 U.S. military installations were already facing elevated levels of risk from rising sea levels. DoD’s operational readiness hinges on continued access to land, air, and sea training and test space. Consequently, the Department must complete a comprehensive assessment of all installations to assess the potential impacts of climate change on its missions and adapt as required.
One group that took note of the QDR's section on climate change was Operation Free, a coalition of veterans and national security organizations that focuses its efforts on boosting clean energy and climate legislation.
"With this [QDR] statement, it is clear that action is needed to prevent climate change in the cause of American safety and security. The longer the we delay, the longer these threats have time to gather," said Jonathan Murray, Operation Free Campaign Manager and Marine veteran. "The global instability caused by droughts, floods, and famine will mean more threats to our security and more soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines put into harm’s way."
The ultimate message from Operation Free and now the Pentagon: climate change denial is not just environmentally idiotic, but also anybody who buys into that idiocy is arguing for reducing U.S. security. The Republicans, you know, the Party of No Way, No How, which has forever been an obstacle in the path of getting decent climate and energy legislation passed, is therefore demonstrably weak on security. That weak-on-security message is one the Democratic Party leadership should be delivering to the American people every day instead of backing further and further away from truly effective legislation. The Pentagon doesn't think climate change will go away. Why do so many in Congress?