BY BRIGADIER GENERAL STEPHEN A. CHENEY
President Trump has insisted that national safety is his piece of job yesteryear priority, repeatedly pledging to protect Americans in addition to equip our military machine to hold upward the most effective inward the world. However, Trump’s failure to human activity decisively on climate alter puts Americans at to a greater extent than opportunity than always before. Having spent over thirty years inward the United States of America Marine Corps, I’m acutely aware that climate safety is national security, a fact recognized yesteryear both Republican in addition to Democratic administrations. Since 2010, the Department of Defense has released dozens of reports confirming the urgent threat of climate alter to our national security. That’s because our military machine leaders, responsible for protecting Americans, don’t receive got the luxury of ignoring reality to grade political points. They correctly recognize that climate alter threatens vital American infrastructure, hampers our military’s readiness, accelerates instability across the globe, in addition to puts American lives at risk.
Extreme weather, including storms, droughts, floods, in addition to oestrus waves, are intensified yesteryear climate change. We’re already seeing to a greater extent than intense in addition to destructive extreme conditions events similar Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, in addition to Maria. Irma shattered a tape yesteryear maintaining Category v forcefulness for 37 hours, in addition to Harvey laid a novel tropical rainfall tape alongside just over lx inches inward Texas.
Three separate studies receive got constitute that climate alter made Harvey’s rainfall upward to 37 percentage worse in addition to to a greater extent than probable to occur. If nosotros neglect to act, these events volition exclusively piece of job to a greater extent than destructive.
America’s military machine bases, both at habitation in addition to abroad, are straight threatened yesteryear to a greater extent than frequent in addition to intense extreme conditions events. The Department of Defense reported that to a greater extent than than thirty United States of America military machine installations currently confront elevated levels of opportunity from ascent ocean levels. Virginia’s Norfolk Naval Base — the largest naval station inward the earth — already floods 10 times a year, in addition to ascent ocean levels fueled yesteryear climate alter volition dramatically worsen this chronic flooding.
Climate alter too threatens global security. Droughts, floods, in addition to other natural disasters undermine already-fragile governments where the the States has vital safety interests — in addition to American troops on the set down — from the Middle East to Asia.
These conditions create in addition to exacerbate resources shortages in addition to aggravate social in addition to political tensions, fostering avenues for extremist ideologies in addition to political instability to receive got hold. By failing to human activity on climate, nosotros are creating a less stable, less secure international organization in addition to potentially putting United States of America troops in addition to civilians inward harm’s way.
Our military machine is unparalleled inward its mightiness to adapt. However, no affair how much nosotros prepare, our leaders must receive got active steps to fighting climate change.
Today, Trump is ignoring scientific discipline in addition to national safety to curlicue dorsum measures that address the carbon pollution that contributes to climate change. By proposing to curlicue dorsum the lifesaving Clean Power Plan in addition to yesteryear pushing for dirtier, less efficient vehicles that would heart to a greater extent than carbon pollution into our air they are pushing an anti-security agenda that puts American lives at risk.
At a recent conference, a Defense Department official said “Secretary Mattis believes inward climate change in addition to the opportunity to national security… [one] nosotros require to integrate inward day-to-day decision-making.” The American military machine has spoken: We must practise everything nosotros tin to protect Americans from the deadly in addition to destructive consequences of climate change.
We must practise right yesteryear our service members yesteryear taking this threat to our national safety seriously. To practise so, nosotros require policies that are guided yesteryear scientific discipline in addition to that pose American lives ahead of particular interests.
Brigadier General Stephen A. Cheney is a retired Marines Corps b
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