RollingThunder
Gold Member
- Mar 22, 2010
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A new pentagon report on the national security threats posed by AGW/CC came out this last week. It should provide a lot of cognitive dissonance to the military-respecting rightwingnut AGW/CC deniers on this forum.
Pentagon Report: U.S. Military Considers Climate Change a 'Threat Multiplier' That Could Exacerbate Terrorism
Newsweek
Zoe Schlanger
10/14/14
(excerpts)
A report released Monday indicates the Department of Defense has dramatically shifted its views towards climate change, and has already begun to treat the phenomenon as a significant threat to national security. Climate change, the Pentagon writes, requires immediate action on the part of the U.S. Military. The report is a roadmap of the Departments future needs and actions to effectively respond to climate change, including anticipating that climate change may require more frequent military intervention within the country to respond to natural disasters, as well as internationally to respond to extremist ideologies that may arise in regions where governments are destabilized due to climate-related stressors. "The impacts of climate change may cause instability in other countries by impairing access to food and water, damaging infrastructure, spreading disease, uprooting and displacing large numbers of people, compelling mass migration, interrupting commercial activity, or restricting electricity availability," the Pentagon writes. "These developments could undermine already-fragile governments that are unable to respond effectively or challenge currently-stable governments, as well as increasing competition and tension between countries vying for limited resources. These gaps in governance can create an avenue for extremist ideologies and conditions that foster terrorism."
The military is integrating climate change considerations into all its operations, including in its training for war scenarios. "We are considering the impacts of climate change in our war games and defense planning scenarios, and are working with our Combatant Commands to address impacts in their areas of responsibility." The military is already preparing and assessing its bases for conditions like sea level rise and increased flooding. "We are almost done with a baseline survey to assess the vulnerability of our militarys more than 7,000 bases, installations, and other facilities. In places like the Hampton Roads region in Virginia, which houses the largest concentration of US military sites in the world, we see recurrent flooding today, and we are beginning work to address a projected sea-level rise of 1.5 feet over the next 20 to 50 years," the report reads. For those who still doubt the science of climate change, Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel says in the foreward to the report: "While scientists are converging toward consensus on future climate projections, uncertainty remains. But this cannot be an excuse for delaying action."
© 2014 Newsweek LLC
(In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes.)
Pentagon Report: U.S. Military Considers Climate Change a 'Threat Multiplier' That Could Exacerbate Terrorism
Newsweek
Zoe Schlanger
10/14/14
(excerpts)
A report released Monday indicates the Department of Defense has dramatically shifted its views towards climate change, and has already begun to treat the phenomenon as a significant threat to national security. Climate change, the Pentagon writes, requires immediate action on the part of the U.S. Military. The report is a roadmap of the Departments future needs and actions to effectively respond to climate change, including anticipating that climate change may require more frequent military intervention within the country to respond to natural disasters, as well as internationally to respond to extremist ideologies that may arise in regions where governments are destabilized due to climate-related stressors. "The impacts of climate change may cause instability in other countries by impairing access to food and water, damaging infrastructure, spreading disease, uprooting and displacing large numbers of people, compelling mass migration, interrupting commercial activity, or restricting electricity availability," the Pentagon writes. "These developments could undermine already-fragile governments that are unable to respond effectively or challenge currently-stable governments, as well as increasing competition and tension between countries vying for limited resources. These gaps in governance can create an avenue for extremist ideologies and conditions that foster terrorism."
The military is integrating climate change considerations into all its operations, including in its training for war scenarios. "We are considering the impacts of climate change in our war games and defense planning scenarios, and are working with our Combatant Commands to address impacts in their areas of responsibility." The military is already preparing and assessing its bases for conditions like sea level rise and increased flooding. "We are almost done with a baseline survey to assess the vulnerability of our militarys more than 7,000 bases, installations, and other facilities. In places like the Hampton Roads region in Virginia, which houses the largest concentration of US military sites in the world, we see recurrent flooding today, and we are beginning work to address a projected sea-level rise of 1.5 feet over the next 20 to 50 years," the report reads. For those who still doubt the science of climate change, Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel says in the foreward to the report: "While scientists are converging toward consensus on future climate projections, uncertainty remains. But this cannot be an excuse for delaying action."
© 2014 Newsweek LLC
(In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes.)