Climate Change Is A Growing National Security Concern, Say Retired Military Leaders

[Faygo Kid]

Source: Huffington Post

A report released Tuesday from an advisory group of retired U.S. military leadership echoes the findings of other recent reports on climate change: It is real, it is already happening and it poses major threats to the U.S. and the rest of the world.

The federally funded Center for Naval Analyses and its Military Advisory Board, a group of 16 retired three- and four-star generals and admirals, affirm in the report that climate events like flooding, prolonged drought and rising sea levels, and the subsequent population dislocation and food insecurity, will serve as "catalysts for instability and conflict" in vulnerable regions of the world.

"We no longer have the option to wait and see," former Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff and former Defense Secretary Leon Panetta write in a foreword to the report, which they describe as a "bipartisan call to action."

The report laments the politicization of climate change and continued inaction from Congress on the issue. "Politically charged debate has silenced sound public discourse," it reads in part. . .

Read more: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/05/14/climate-change-national-security_n_5323148.html

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I didn't see this elsewhere, but it sure seems like important breaking news to me. I'm under no illusion that anything will break through the stupid of the climate change deniers, but we have to keep trying, anyway.

[caraher]

1. Can't hurt

Most interesting to me is the way they frame the issue in terms of resilience, not sustainability. The message is clear: this is not only here, but it's only going to get worse, and we can't think only in terms of somehow preventing it from happening or deepening.

[Uncle Joe]

2. At this point it will take both resilience and sustainability, in some respects the military

is already leading the way.

http://ecowatch.com/2014/01/16/military-renewable-energy/

U.S. Military Nearly Doubles Renewable Energy Projects

(snip)

Renewable projects on Department of Defense and military properties grew from 454 to 700 from 2010 to 2012, according to Power Surge, a report released today by the Pew Charitable Trusts.

The amount of energy saving and efficiency projects more than doubled—from 630 to 1,339—during the same period.

(snip)




(snip)


The study also discusses the Master Energy Performance Plan developed by the Pentagon. One of its primary goals is to increase on-site electricity generation with renewable energy, and deploy 3 gigawatts of renewable energy—enough to power 750,000 homes—by 2025.

[benfranklin1776]

3. This is, ahem, rather important, yes since it concerns, basically, our survival?

But will our illustrious cable "news" channels give it 24/7 coverage? Hah, no chance since after all missing plane porn and Benghazi are "so much more important." Makes me physically ill. Also, screw the bipartisan blame game in the report. I call bullshit as there is only ONE political party that has politicized this issue and obstructs every effort to address it- the ignorant know nothing Rethuglican knuckle draggers. They deserve all the blame and it should be hung around their neck like a dead albatross.

[unhappycamper]

4. We have the money to start weaning ourselves off fossil fuels.

We just keep buying shit like $5+ billion dollar destroyers (Zumwalt-class), $40 billion dollar aircraft carriers (Ford-class), as well as the crap Lockheed Martin keeps pushing.

Don't build one Zumwalt-class destroyer and you can build two desalinization plants. Think GA and AL and TX and CA.

We are in the midst of trying to find something good about our $400 billion dollar F-35. It can been seen by radar so now we need more $120+ million dollar F/A-18 Growlers to keep those radars from seeing the not-so-stealthy F-35. Cancel the fucking program and spend that money on our infrastructure and hasten the move to renewable energy.

We have the money, we just spend it on the wrong things.

[Nihil]

5. 100% correct!

> We have the money, we just spend it on the wrong things.

[Delphinus]

6. Seems I watched

a lecture from the Naval Academy about this - very enlightening.