NS4960 Summer Term 2018 Climate Change and National Security

Overview Issie Lapowsky, How Climate Change Became a National Security Problem, Wired, October 20, 2015 Traditionally in the U.S. climate change has been framed as An economic issue, An environmental issue, and A public health issue Only recently has climate change been taken seriously as a national security by politicians However for some time now military minds have been sounding the alarm on climate change

Climate and National Security I Syria to Arab Spring In 2003 DoD report noted that climate change could lead to food shortages and drought Create instability on vulnerable countries Many dismisses report as reflecting a far off threat Since then defense and intelligence agencies have concluded climate change a more immediate threat Council on Foreign Relations paper 2007 Offered recommendations on how to mitigate risk CIA Report in 2008 Attempted to predict climate change’s impact on national security by 2030

Climate and National Security II By 2014 DoD had Adopted term “threat multiplier” to describe climate change Put out a Climate Change Adaptation Roadmap which Surveyed the vulnerability of country’s military bases Research began to reveal how climate change contributed to the Arab Spring and the conflict in Syria Framing climate change as a national security threat has advantages Increases sense of urgency, but also creates a path for environmental solutions Military could play an important role in building advanced green technology Helping secure the country’s grid and give the U.S. a strategic advantage over other countries in the future – in attacking problems in a broad systematic way

Climate and National Security III While security implications of climate change are real – critical not to raise too many alarms Best to acknowledge that climate change not the biggest national security risk today Framing it that way only makes it easier for critics to write off the issue entirely Best to argue that climate change not the biggest security issue, but one that will make security harder If framed as a security issue the military will want to respond Way they respond will have little to do with stopping the spread of climate change Will have to do with protecting military interests May make international cooperation over climate change more difficult.