1. NS4960 Spring Term 2018 National Security and Climate Change

2. 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

3. 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

4. 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