Defense planningThe Pentagon integrates climate change into military planning
With the release of the National Climate Assessment last month, a clearer picture has emerged of the official policy-related interpretation of climate change data. The debate may still go on amongst civilian branches of government, and between the administration and its critics, the Pentagon, for some time now, has already been integrating climate change-related policies into its daily operations across all branches of the military.
With the release of the National Climate Assessment last month, a clearer picture has emerged of the official policy-related interpretation of climate change data. Critics of the National Climate Assessment claim that the assessment is “biased towards pessimism,” arguing that “The report overly focuses on the supposed negative impacts from climate change while largely dismissing or ignoring the positives from climate change.”
The debate may still go on amongst civilian branches of government, and the administration and its critics, Defense One reports that the Pentagon, for some time now, has already been integrating climate change-related policies into its daily operations across all branches of the military.
Much of the military’s concern involves preparedness and real-world adaptability, with climate change being a legitimate challenge. Sharon Burke, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Operational Energy Plans and Programs, said that “We have to be concerned about all of the global impacts [of climate change], including here at home, where the Defense Department does have a mission in supporting civil authorities in the event of natural disasters. We have to be concerned about all of it…If we’re seeing salt water intrusion at an aquifer at a base in North Carolina; we have to deal with it.”
The list of defense leaders echoing this concern is long. Brig. Gen. John Adams (Ret.), an adviser to the Center for Climate Security, told Defense One that “The Pentagon is seeing this as a problem. Instability is accelerating. Climate change is an accelerator of instability. The Pentagon understands that.” Adams offered an example from his home state of Florida of the kind of military planning made necessary by climate change. “We predict the sea level will rise here. That means that Navy ship berths will have to change, because they’re not floating docks, they’re built into the land.”
Additionally, the National Climate Assessment notes the changing face of the arctic as an area of more intensive focus for the Navy. It notes that shifting patterns in shipping routes and the possibilities of creating new bases for further exploration of natural resources. More ominously, Adams adds “There will be new competitors for that route. The United States has a big role to play in any of the sea lanes.”
Defense Onealso mentions that the Department of Defense (DOD) is one of the larger contributors to global warming, burning twelve million gallons of oil a day. The DOD has announced plans to invest $1.7 billion in 2015 toward maximizing energy efficiency.
