Dear Editor:
In response to a recent column by Dr. Joel Glass and Tom Harris, I want to draw attention to a remarkable document on climate change and national security. On September 24, 64 senior military and security leaders endorsed "A Climate Security Plan for America." It's signed by more than 20 admirals and generals, including Rear Admiral David Titley, former oceanographer and navigator of the Navy and General Gordon Sullivan, former chief of staff of the Army, along with many others.
The report asserts that increases in extreme weather “can devastate essential energy, financial and agricultural centers that undergird U.S. and global economic viability and the well-being of our populations.” It calls for initiatives to improve the resilience of our critical infrastructure and to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S. and globally in order to avoid “catastrophic security consequences.”
It's important to look to independent organizations like the military when evaluating the threat posed by climate change. Because our armed services depend on scientific evidence to assess risk, they are less amenable to politicized science.
The U.S. military has expressed concern about climate change since the George W. Bush Administration, and dozens of Defense Department documents on this issue can be accessed at climateandsecurity.org.
Urgently reducing greenhouse gas emissions and funding adaptation should be top priorities for every politician who is concerned about national security and global stability.
Terry Hansen
10185 W. Plum Tree Circle
Hales Corners, WI 53130
414-308-0131
References
"A Climate Security Plan for America" (See the bottom of p. 8 and p. 9, par. 3 of the pdf.)
Chronology of military concerns about climate change
https://climateandsecurity.org/resources/u-s-government/defense/
