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You are here: Home1 / Energy and Climate Change2 / News

PSA in the Huffington Post: Climate Change: Still a War of Words

April 22, 2016/in Energy and Climate Change, News, News /by actualize

By William S. Becker
Updated April 22, 2016

In Washington D.C. last week, a former Army general told a Senate committee that the U.S. military is being distracted and soldiers are being put at risk because the Department of Defense (DoD) has become “an unwitting agent for propagandizing the dangers of climate change.”

The officer was retired Maj. Gen. Robert Scales, an expert on land warfare and the former Commandant of the United States Army War College. He testified before the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, chaired by Congress’s foremost climate skeptic, Republican Jim Inhofe of Oklahoma.

Meanwhile, 200 miles to the south, the nation’s largest naval base – Naval Station Norfolk, home of the Atlantic fleet – was at risk of increased flooding. The base and the city of Norfolk are experiencing larger and more frequent floods these days as a result of their low elevation, natural ground subsidence, and rising sea levels attributed to global warming.

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Homestead Air Force Base in 1992 after Hurricane Andrew hit Florida.

The Norfolk naval station is not the only military asset at risk from climate change. There are more than 700 military installations and sites located on America’s coasts. DoD has 7,600 installations across the 50 states and in 40 foreign nations. Its global real estate portfolio includes more than 555,000 facilities and 28 million acres of land with a replacement value close to $850 billion. In 2008, the National Intelligence Council identified 30 U.S. military installations already facing higher risks from rising sea levels. In 2014, the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) confirmed that climate change already is adversely affecting military installations. The author of the report concluded “theoretically, any one of them or all of them are vulnerable to climate change.”

A few lines down, I’ll quote some of the numerous studies that describe how climate change threatens international stability as well as U.S. military capabilities and budgets. Adverse climate impacts are modeled and forecast by scientists, but it is the military and intelligence communities that must try to mitigate them. The military’s job is to foresee and prepare for threats to national security long before they arrive. Toward that end, climate-related risk assessments and directives have been incorporated into the White House National Security Strategy, the Department of Homeland Security’s climate action plan, the findings of the National Intelligence Council, the Department of Defense Quadrennial Defense Review and DoD’s latest climate adaptation roadmap, to name just a few.

Gen. Scales dismisses these assessments, arguing that the Pentagon is merely following the script of its Commander in Chief in the White House. Further, he believes the script itself creates risks for the military.

“In its zeal to follow orders the military might deflect resources away from fighting the war against global terrorism to fight a contrived war against global warming,” he testified. “Every dollar spent on initiatives that don’t apply directly to fighting the enemy and keeping our soldiers and Marines safe on the battlefield is a dollar needlessly wasted. Again, no soldier should die in battle for the sake of political correctness.”

He continued: “Think of a soldier in Afghanistan or Iraq returning from a dangerous and exhausting mission being obliged to listen to a senior defense official lecture them on the revelation that fighting climate change is their most important mission. These men and women see the realities of battle all around them. The military threat of rising temperatures is not one of them.”

There are several flaws in Scales’ arguments. Many of the warnings about the risks of climate change are coming not from the Pentagon, but from retired military and intelligence officers who are no longer in the chain of command. They are under no obligation to stick to a White House script. On the contrary, they usually are as blunt as Scales in their views about national security.

Gen. Scales does not speak for the veterans of the Afghanistan and Iraq wars. Returning vets have joined campaigns to tell the American people about the risks of climate change and fossil fuels. In 2009, for example, a coalition of veterans and national security organizations founded Operation Free to raise public awareness about the national security threats of climate change and the nation’s dependence on oil.

As of a year ago, 17,000 veterans were employed in the solar energy industry thanks in part to a training program conducted by the U.S. Department of Energy. Those numbers are likely to increase as more military personnel become familiar with the renewable and clean energy technologies being deployed by the armed services and in the civilian economy.

Scales is wrong, too, about the value of the Pentagon’s investments in climate change adaptation and mitigation. The investments improve rather than undermine the military’s war-fighting abilities and the safety of our soldiers.

A prominent example is the use of renewable energy technologies to generate electricity for soldiers in the field rather than relying on generators run on diesel fuel. The convoys that deliver diesel are as vulnerable as they are vital. DoD reports that 3,000 Americans were killed in fuel convoys in Iraq and Afghanistan between 2003 and 2007 alone.

At home, the growing use of renewable power at military bases allows them to keep operating even when the aging civilian grid goes down. Third parties rather than taxpayers finance many of these technologies. And renewable energy saves money that can be applied to other essential purposes. Studies have shown that by the time petroleum reaches soldiers in the field, it can cost as much as $45 per gallon.

Retired senior military and intelligence experts have sounded blunt warnings about the security risks of climate change for years. Similar warnings have been published by civilian organizations such as the Council on Foreign Relations, theCNA Military Advisory Board, and the Center for Climate and Security, a policy institute with an advisory board of senior retired military and national security experts.

The advisers to one organization, the Partnership for a Secure America, include notable former senior government officials who served under Presidents Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama. Among them are Secretaries of State Madeline Albright and George Shultz; Republican Senators Slade Gordon, Nancy Kassebaum, and Richard Lugar; Democrat Senators Gary Hart, Lee Hamilton and Sam Nunn; former Defense Secretaries William Cohen, William Perry and Leon Panetta; Navy Secretary John Lehman; and National Security Advisor Robert McFarlane.

These distinguished Americans, many of whom spent their careers in service to national security, understand that climate change is arguably the most insidious of all threats to our future, including terrorism. That’s the case because some of its most damaging impacts will be irreversible if they are not addressed now. The military and intelligence communities can do something about Isis and Al-Qaida. They cannot protect us from rising seas, more violent storms, record droughts, spreading diseases and other long-term consequences of carbon pollution.

The real forward forces in the war against climate change are in the White House, Congress, statehouses, state legislators and city halls. We all have a role in reducing climate impacts, but we cannot succeed without the help of enlightened and prudent public policies like carbon pricing and the cessation of carbon subsidies. Without those policies, today’s children are being conscripted into a world far more violent and unstable than it is today.

But rather than searching for common ground on solutions, we have prominent political leaders still engaging in a war of words. When outgoing Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel called climate change a “threat multiplier”, the Wall Street Journal editorial board responded with, “Americans who might die at the hands of the Islamic State won’t care that Mr. Hagel is mobilizing against melting glaciers.” When Secretary of State John Kerry called climate change a potential “weapon of mass destruction”, Newt Gingrich called him delusional and encouraged the American people to demand his resignation.

Americans at the grass roots understand how ridiculous this is. Last October, the World Resources Institute hosted a “Rising Tides Summit“ attended by 40 local elected officials who represented 18 of the nation’s 23 coastal states. Republican as well as Democrat leaders attended to discuss their growing risks from coastal flooding and sea level rise. According to WRI, they reached a unified message that these threats already are present; that they are an economic issue as well as a safety issue; and that presidential candidates need to pay attention. They also agreed that sea level rise and coastal flooding should not be made partisan issues. As one of them put it, “The water coming in your neighbor’s door does not care if you’re a Republican or a Democrat.”

Former generals and admirals have tough words for those who try to make climate change a wedge issue. Members of the Military Advisory Board at the Center for Naval Analysis write, “We are dismayed that discussions of climate change have become so polarizing and have receded from the arena of informed public discourse and debate. Political posturing and budgetary woes cannot be allowed to inhibit discussion and debate over what so many believe to be a salient national security concern for our nation.”

The former officers and national leaders advising the American Security Project write, “We live in a time when the threats to our security are as complex and diverse as terrorism, nuclear proliferation, climate change, energy challenges, and our economic wellbeing. Partisan bickering and age-old solutions simply won’t solve our problems. America – and the world – needs an honest dialogue about security that is as robust as it is realistic.”

The retired military leaders advising the Partnership for a Secure America write, “We believe that the United States is being ill-served by the growing partisan divide surrounding its national security and foreign policy… Policy differences must always be debated, but growing partisan bitterness dangerously interferes with substantive discussion of our national security and foreign policy.”

In the final analysis and in the near term, the greatest threat to national security is the politicians who not only refuse to do anything about climate risks, but who also stand in the way of those who want to find solutions.

This article originally appeared in The Huffington Post.
0 0 actualize https://psaonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/PSALogo_Horiz_transparent-300x89.png actualize2016-04-22 14:59:352016-04-22 14:59:35PSA in the Huffington Post: Climate Change: Still a War of Words

PSA in The Independent: Climate change is destabilising the world and becoming ‘threat to national security’, US security chiefs warn

October 22, 2015/in Energy and Climate Change, News, News /by actualize

Climate change is destabilising the world and becoming ‘threat to national security’, US security chiefs warn

(This article originally appeared in The Independent)

By Lizzie Dearden
October 22, 2015

climate-change.jpg

Ian Waldie/Getty Images

 

Three former Defence Secretaries and two ex-Secretaries of State are among the politicians demanding that climate change be treated as “a threat to US national security”.

Chuck Hagel, William Cohen and Madeleine Albright joined 45 other Republican and Democrat senior politicians, military commanders, security advisers and diplomats signing an open letter by the Partnership for a Secure America (PSA).

It said global warming was “shaping a world that is more unstable, resource-constrained, violent and disaster-prone”.

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California’s drought caused the state to pass its first extensive groundwater regulations

“The impacts are real, and the costs of inaction are unacceptable,” continued the letter, which was published as a full-page advert in the Wall Street Journal.

“America’s elected leaders and private sector must think past tomorrow to focus on this growing problem, and take action at home and abroad.”

The appeal comes as Republican members of Congress continue to oppose Barack Obama’s efforts to cut carbon pollution and agree a strategy on fighting climate change with world leaders in Paris later this year.

The US Department of Defence defines it as a “global threat multiplier” that exacerbates the risk of conflict over resources, ethnic tensions, poverty and economic discontent, the letter says.

It said that although security chiefs in Washington are making efforts to anticipate the impact, the whole of America needs to do the same.

“The US must grab the mantle of global leadership to engage other nations and overcome this challenge,” it continues.

“Combating the consequential national security dangers posed by the changing climate cannot be done alone…we can ensure a prosperous future for our nation by shoring up resilience and mitigation efforts at home, assisting vulnerable partners abroad and planning past tomorrow – where Americans will live with the decisions of today.”

The former Director of Central Intelligence, R. James Woolsey and ex-commanders of Centcom, Southcom, Eucom, the US Air Force and US Army were among the signatories, as well as senators from both sides of the floor.

The PSA, a non-profit group founded by Republican and Democrat senators in 2005, aims to advance bipartisan consensus and has previously released statements on issues including nuclear proliferation, terrorism and international relations.

0 0 actualize https://psaonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/PSALogo_Horiz_transparent-300x89.png actualize2015-10-22 14:35:362015-10-22 14:35:36PSA in The Independent: Climate change is destabilising the world and becoming ‘threat to national security’, US security chiefs warn

National Security and Foreign Policy Leaders Warn of Climate Change Threat, Call for U.S. Leadership

October 22, 2015/in Energy and Climate Change, News, News /by actualize

Retired Military Leaders, Senators, Governors, Foreign Policy and National Security Officials Make Bipartisan Call for Global Climate Action

Washington, DC—Forty-eight national security and foreign policy leaders urged the highest levels of American government and business to “think past tomorrow,” and take domestic and international action to fight climate change in a statement released today, which will also appear as a full page ad in today’s Wall Street Journal.

Signers of the statement include former officials such as: Secretaries of Defense, Chuck Hagel, William Cohen and Leon Panetta; Secretaries of State Madeleine Albright and George Shultz; National Security Advisors, Sandy Berger and Bud McFarlane; Senators Olympia Snowe and Richard Lugar; New Jersey Governor and Chair of the 9/11 Commission Thomas Kean; and Retired US Army Chief of Staff, General Gordon R. Sullivan. They joined more than three-dozen other high-level officials in calling for US leadership in the global effort to tackle the urgent and complex problem of climate change. All the signers are listed at the bottom of this release.

“There is no longer any daylight between national security concerns and climate change,” said former Governor (R-NJ) and Chair of the 9/11 Commission Thomas Kean. “Combating climate change and protecting our national security are one and the same, and it’s imperative that lawmakers start treating our warming planet with the same urgency that they treat other security threats.”

Environmental destabilization associated with climate change exacerbates conditions that drive resource disputes and economic discontent. This has become an increasing concern for the military and intelligence communities. According to the statement:

The U.S. Department of Defense has defined climate change as a global threat multiplier – exacerbating instigators of conflict such as resource disputes, ethnic tensions, and economic discontent. Operationally, they see its potential to prevent access to their workforce, degrade the security of installations, impede training and readiness, and impair force capacity.

Security threats associated with climate change are already being observed. Climate change has been identified as a contributing factor in rising sociopolitical tension in Syria. The melting Arctic and its impact on America’s borders and relationship with Russia has become a top security priority for the U.S. Navy. Climate related crop failures and droughts in the Middle East and African Sahel are contributing to migration pressures within Europe.

“From a military standpoint we don’t look at climate security as a liberal/conservative or big government/little government issue. We see it as a phenomenon that will impact our ability to base, train, deploy, and operate,” said retired four-star General and Commander in Chief of Air Combat Command Ron Keys. “We have to account for it in an affordable and technically achievable way that accepts reasonable risk, but preserves our ability to execute our missions. We have to get this out of theology discussions into science and data discussions and start looking at the risk, how bad can it be, and what can we do. Time is wasting.”

The security community has long recognized that this is not a problem that can be solved with military action, nor can America succeed on its own. The statement highlights the need for allies:

American leaders must enlist international partners to ensure that all countries do their fair share. For twenty years, the U.S. has asserted that this is a global problem that will require global solutions. Now, with crucial actors like China, Brazil, and Mexico making earnest commitments, we have an opportunity to advance that approach.

To accompany the statement, the Partnership for a Secure America (PSA), a national nonprofit dedicated to advancing bipartisan action on critical national security and foreign policy challenges, will run ads in the Wall Street Journal and various online outlets.

The statement comes at a time when there are signs of decreasing partisan polarization around climate change. Earlier this year, numerous Republican Senators voted with Democrats in recognizing today’s climate challenge, two Republican Senators blocked an amendment that would have prevented US contributions to the Green Climate Fund, and a Republican House resolution has recently been introduced emphasizing the need to act on the immediate national security threat posed by climate change.

In early December, more than 190 countries will meet for a global climate summit in Paris. Leading up to the summit, a number of critical nations have announced commitments to address the climate challenge as part of a global effort, including China, Brazil, South Africa, Indonesia, Peru, Mexico and India, among others. In addition, numerous city and local state actors as well as international companies have come forward in a parallel effort to support an international climate agreement and implement local policies and practices to help keep warming under 2 degrees Celsius.

“This moment in diplomatic history is too important to sacrifice to partisanship,” said former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright. “We have an opportunity for a real breakthrough on US/China climate policy that has important implications for the broader relationship.”

The statement was signed by: 

Madeleine Albright,Secretary of State 1997-2001

Birch Bayh, Jr.,US Senator (D-IN) 1963-81

Samuel Berger,National Security Advisor 1997-2001

Zbigniew Brzezinski,National Security Advisor 1977-81

Nicholas Burns,Undersecretary of State 2005-08

William Cohen,Secretary of Defense 1997-2001, US Senator (R-ME) 1979-97

Norm Coleman, USSenator (R-MN) 2003-09

John C. Danforth,US Senator (R-MO) 1976-95, US Ambassador to the UN 2004-05

Bob Ehrlich,Governor (R-MD) 2003-07

Thomas Fingar,Chairman, National Intelligence, Council 2005-08

GEN Douglas Fraser,USAF (Ret.), Commander, US Southern Command (SOUTHCOM)

Marc Grossman,Undersecretary of State 2001-05

Carlos M. Gutierrez,Secretary of Commerce 2005-09

Chuck Hagel,Secretary of Defense 2013-15,US Senator (R-NE) 1997-2009

Lee Hamilton, USCongressman (D-IN) 1965-99, Vice Chair, 9/11 Commission

Gary Hart, USSenator (D-CO) 1975-87

Rita Hauser,Chair, International Peace Institute, 1992-present

Carla Hills, U.S.Trade Representative 1989-93

GEN Donald J. Hoffman,USAF (Ret.)¸Commander, US Air Force Materiel Command 2008-12

Nancy Kassebaum-Baker,US Senator (R-KS) 1978-97

Thomas Kean,Governor (R-NJ) 1989-20, Chair, 9/11 Commission

GEN Ron Keys,USAF (Ret.), Commander in Chief, Air Combat Command 2005-07

Carl Levin, USSenator (D-MI) 1979-2015

Joseph Lieberman,US Senator (I-CT) 1989-2013

ADM Samuel J.Locklear III, USN (Ret.) Commander, US Pacific Command (PACOM) 2012-15

ADM James Loy,USC (Ret.), Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security 2003-05, US Coast Guard
Commandant 1998-2002

Richard Lugar, USSenator (R-IN) 1977-2013

VADM Mike McConnell,USN (Ret.), Director of National Intelligence 2007-09

Robert McFarlane,National Security Advisor 1983-85

Donald McHenry,US Ambassador to the UN 1979-81

Janet Napolitano,Secretary of Homeland Security 2009-13, Governor (D-AZ) 2003-09

Paul O’Neill,Secretary of the Treasury 2001-02

Leon Panetta,Secretary of Defense 2011-13

Henry M. Paulson,Jr., Secretary of the Treasury 2006-09

Thomas Pickering,Undersecretary of State 1997-2000

Mark S. Schweiker,Governor (R-PA) 2001-03

George Shultz,Secretary of State 1982-89

Gordon H. Smith,US Senator (R-OR) 1997-2009

Olympia Snowe, USSenator (R-ME) 1995-2013

Richard H. Solomon,President, US Institute of Peace 1993-2012

GEN Gordon R.Sullivan, US Army (Ret.), US Army 32nd Chief of Staff 1991-95

Frances Townsend,Homeland Security Advisor 2004-08

GEN Charles Wald,USAF (Ret.) Deputy Commander, US European Command (EUCOM) 2002-06

GEN Larry D. Welch,USAF (Ret.) US Air Force 12th Chief of Staff 1986-90

Christine ToddWhitman, Governor (R-NJ) 1994-2001, EPA Administrator 2001-03

Frank Wisner,Undersecretary of State 1992-93

R. James Woolsey,Director of Central Intelligence 1993-95, Chairman, Foundation for Defense of
Democracies

GEN Anthony Zinni,USMC (Ret.), Commander in Chief, US Central Command (CENTCOM) 1997-2000

 

###Partnership for a Secure America (PSA) is a nonprofit founded by former U.S. Representative Lee Hamilton (D-IN) and the late former U.S. Senator Warren Rudman (R-NH) to advance bipartisanship on today’s critical national security and foreign policy challenges.

Click here for the full text of the statement.

View the Statement
0 0 actualize https://psaonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/PSALogo_Horiz_transparent-300x89.png actualize2015-10-22 02:37:522015-10-22 02:37:52National Security and Foreign Policy Leaders Warn of Climate Change Threat, Call for U.S. Leadership

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