BY BRIGADIER GENERAL STEPHEN A. CHENEY
President Trump has insisted that national safety is his overstep priority, repeatedly pledging to protect Americans too equip our armed forces to live on the most effective inward the world. However, Trump’s failure to deed decisively on climate alter puts Americans at to a greater extent than run a peril than always before. Having spent over xxx years inward the US Marine Corps, I’m acutely aware that climate safety is national security, a fact recognized past times both Republican too 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 armed forces leaders, responsible for protecting Americans, don’t take away hold 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, too puts American lives at risk. Extreme weather, including storms, droughts, floods, too estrus waves, are intensified past times climate change. We’re already seeing to a greater extent than intense too destructive extreme weather condition events similar Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, too Maria. Irma shattered a tape past times maintaining Category v forcefulness for 37 hours, too Harvey laid a novel tropical rainfall tape amongst just over lx inches inward Texas.
Three separate studies take away hold constitute that climate alter made Harvey’s rainfall upwards to 37 per centum worse too to a greater extent than probable to occur. If nosotros neglect to act, these events volition solely piece of job to a greater extent than destructive.
America’s armed forces bases, both at abode too abroad, are straight threatened past times to a greater extent than frequent too intense extreme weather condition events. The Department of Defense reported that to a greater extent than than xxx US armed forces installations currently facial expression upwards elevated levels of run a peril from ascent body of body of water levels. Virginia’s Norfolk Naval Base — the largest naval station inward the Blue Planet — already floods 10 times a year, too ascent body of body of water levels fueled past times climate alter volition dramatically worsen this chronic flooding.
Climate alter too threatens global security. Droughts, floods, too other natural disasters undermine already-fragile governments where the US has vital safety interests — too American troops on the reason — from the Middle East to Asia.
These conditions create too exacerbate resources shortages too aggravate social too political tensions, fostering avenues for extremist ideologies too political instability to take away hold hold. By failing to deed on climate, nosotros are creating a less stable, less secure international organization too potentially putting US troops too civilians inward harm’s way.
Our armed forces is unparalleled inward its mightiness to adapt. However, no affair how much nosotros prepare, our leaders must take away hold active steps to fighting climate change.
Today, Trump is ignoring scientific discipline too national safety to gyre dorsum measures that address the carbon pollution that contributes to climate change. By proposing to gyre dorsum the lifesaving Clean Power Plan too past times 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 too the run a peril to national security… [one] nosotros need to integrate inward day-to-day decision-making.” The American armed forces has spoken: We must practise everything nosotros tin sack to protect Americans from the deadly too destructive consequences of climate change.
We must practise right past times our service members past times taking this threat to our national safety seriously. To practise so, nosotros need policies that are guided past times scientific discipline too that set American lives ahead of exceptional interests.
Brigadier General Stephen A. Cheney is a retired Marines Corps brigadier full general too the Chief Executive Officer of the American Security Project (ASP), a nonpartisan national safety mean value tank. He is a graduate of the US Naval Academy too served inward the Marine Corps for over xxx years.
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