Climate Security Plan for America

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Climate Security Plan for America A CLIMATE SECURITY PLAN FOR AMERICA A PRESIDENTIAL PLAN FOR COMBATING THE SECURITY RISKS OF CLIMATE CHANGE L PO ICY GN I EN Y E LIG CGE R E L R O S E E EN F N T DEFE N I HOUSE E SECURI IT ND TY H LA W September 2019E M Edited by John Conger, Francesco Femia and Caitlin Werrell O H Chaired and in published by partnership with The Center for Climate and Security | 1025 Connecticut Ave., NW ∙ Suite 1000 ∙ Washington, DC 20036 | www.climateandsecurity.org L PO ICY GN I EN Y E LIG CGE R E L R O S E E EN F N T DEFE N I HOUSE E SECURI IT ND TY H LA W E M O H Cover Photo: Soldiers with the Texas Army National Guard move through flood- waters from Hurricane Harvey. U.S. ARMY PHOTO BY 1ST LT. ZACHARY WEST. L PO ICY GN I EN Y E LIG CGE R E L The Climate and SecurityR Advisory Group (CSAG)O is a voluntary, non-partisan group S of U.S.-based military,E national security, homeland security, intelligence and foreign E EN F N policy experts from a broad range of institutions. The CSAG is Dchaired by the CenterE T for Climate and Security in partnership with the George Washington University’sEF N Elliott School of International Affairs. See page 5 for a full list of signatories of this I document. Organizational affiliations are listed for identification purposes only. HOUSE E SECURI IT ND TY H LA W E M O This report should be cited as: The Center for Climate andH Security, 2019. A Climate Security Plan for America, Washington, DC: The Climate and Security Advisory Group, Chaired by the Center for Climate and Security in partnership with George Washington University's Elliott School of International Affairs © 2019 The Center for Climate and Security, an institute of The Council on Strategic Risks The Center for Climate and Security | 1025 Connecticut Ave., NW ∙ Suite 1000 ∙ Washington, DC 20036 | www.climateandsecurity.org 3 CONTENTS THE CLIMATE AND SECURITY ADVISORY GROUP SIGNATORIES | 5 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY AND TOP RECOMMENDATIONS: A STRATEGIC VISION FOR CLIMATE SECURITY | 8 INTRODUCTION: THE RISKS NECESSITATING A CLIMATE SECURITY PLAN FOR AMERICA | 9 A CLIMATE SECURITY PLAN FOR AMERICA | 11 I. DEMONSTRATING LEADERSHIP: MAKE CLIMATE CHANGE A VITAL NATIONAL SECURITY PRIORITY | 12 RECOMMENDATIONS | 13 II. ASSESSING CLIMATE RISKS: TAKE ADVANTAGE OF UNPRECEDENTED FORESIGHT ABOUT CLIMATE CHANGE | 19 RECOMMENDATIONS | 20 III. SUPPORTING ALLIES AND PARTNERS: COMPETE ON THE WORLD STAGE BY BOLSTERING CLIMATE RESILIENCE INTERNATIONALLY | 23 RECOMMENDATIONS | 24 IV. PREPARING FOR AND PREVENTING CLIMATE IMPACTS: BUILD U.S. RESILIENCE TO CLIMATE RISKS AND REDUCE THEIR SCALE AND SCOPE | 27 RECOMMENDATIONS | 28 APPENDIX: THE CLIMATE SECURITY PLAN RECOMMENDATIONS ORGANIZED BY AGENCY | 33 WHITE HOUSE | 33 DEFENSE | 36 DIPLOMACY AND DEVELOPMENT | 41 HOMELAND SECURITY | 44 INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY | 46 OTHER FEDERAL AGENCIES | 47 The Center for Climate and Security | 1025 Connecticut Ave., NW ∙ Suite 1000 ∙ Washington, DC 20036 | www.climateandsecurity.org 4 THE CLIMATE AND SECURITY ADVISORY GROUP SIGNATORIES The Climate Security Plan for America is endorsed by the following members of the Climate and Security Advisory Group. Honorable Richard Truly General Gordon Sullivan, General Larry D. Welch, Vice Admiral, US Navy (Ret) US Army (Ret) US Air Force (Ret) Former NASA Administrator Former Chief of Staff of the US Army Former Chief of Staff of the US Air Force Former Commander, Naval Space Command Advisory Board Member The Center for Climate and Security Admiral Paul Zukunft, Admiral Samuel J. Locklear, General Anthony Zinni, US Coast Guard (Ret) US Navy (Ret) US Marine Corps (Ret) Former Commandant of the US Coast Guard Former Commander, Pacific Command Former Commander, US Central Command Advisory Board Member Advisory Board Member Advisory Board Member The Center for Climate and Security The Center for Climate and Security The Center for Climate and Security Honorable John Conger Honorable Alice Hill Honorable Dennis McGinn Former Principal Deputy Under Secretary of Former Senior Director of Resilience Policy Vice Admiral, US Navy (Ret) Defense (Comptroller) National Security Council Former Assistant Secretary of the Navy Director Advisory Board Member (Energy, Installations & Environment) The Center for Climate and Security The Center for Climate and Security Advisory Board Member Honorable Miranda A. A. Ballentine Admiral Frank L. “Skip” Bowman, General Ronald E. Keys, Former Assistant Secretary of the Air Force US Navy (Ret) US Air Force (Ret) (Installations, Environment and Energy) Former Director, Naval Nuclear Propulsion Former Commander, Air Combat Command Advisory Board Member Program Chairman, CNA Military Advisory Board The Center for Climate and Security Advisory Board Member Advisory Board Member The Center for Climate and Security The Center for Climate and Security Admiral T. Joseph Lopez, Honorable Sherri Goodman Robert S. Taylor US Navy (Ret) Former Deputy Under Secretary of Defense Former Principal Deputy General Counsel, Former Commander, Allied Forces Southern (Environmental Security) Department of Defense Europe and Navy Forces Europe Advisory Board Member Advisory Board Member The Center for Climate and Security The Center for Climate and Security Lieutenant General John Castellaw, Vice Admiral Lee Gunn, US Navy (Ret) Lieutenant General Arlen D. Jameson, US Marine Corps (Ret) Former Inspector General, US Air Force (Ret) Former Chief of Staff, US Central Command US Department of the Navy Former Deputy Commander, US Strategic Advisory Board Member Chairman, The Gunn Group Command The Center for Climate and Security Advisory Board Member The Center for Climate and Security The Center for Climate and Security | 1025 Connecticut Ave., NW ∙ Suite 1000 ∙ Washington, DC 20036 | www.climateandsecurity.org 5 Lieutenant General Stephen Lanza, Vice Admiral Robert Parker, Lieutenant General Norman Seip, US Army (Ret) US Coast Guard (Ret) US Air Force (Ret) Former Commander, I Corps Former Coast Guard Atlantic Area Commander Former Commander, 12th Air Force Advisory Board Member Advisory Board Member Independent Consultant The Center for Climate and Security The Council on Strategic Risks NS Solutions Gregory Treverton Rear Admiral Len Hering, US Navy (Ret) Rear Admiral Ann Phillips, Former Chair, National Intelligence Council Former Commander, Navy Region Southwest US Navy (Ret) Professor of Practice Advisory Board Member Former Commander, Expeditionary Strike University of Southern California The Center for Climate and Security Group TWO Advisory Board Member The Center for Climate and Security Rear Admiral David Titley, Rear Admiral Jonathan White, Joseph Bryan US Navy (Ret) US Navy (Ret) Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Former Oceanographer and Navigator of the President & CEO Navy Navy Consortium for Ocean Leadership (Energy) Advisory Board Member Advisory Board Member Principal The Center for Climate and Security The Center for Climate and Security Muswell-Orange, LLC Brigadier General Joseph R. Barnes, Brigadier General Stephen A. Cheney, Brigadier General Gerald E. Galloway, US Army (Ret) US Marine Corps (Ret) US Army (Ret) Advisory Board Member Chief Executive Officer Former Dean of the Academic Board, West Point The Center for Climate and Security American Security Project Glenn L. Martin Institute Professor of Engineering University of Maryland Captain Steve Brock, US Navy (Ret) Captain James C. Goudreau SC, Colonel Mark Mykleby, Senior Advisor US Navy (Ret) US Marine Corps (Ret) The Council on Strategic Risks Former Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary of Advisory Board Member the Navy (Energy) The Center for Climate and Security Colonel Lawrence B. Wilkerson, Lieutenant Colonel Hal Bidlack, PhD, Commander Deke Slayton, US Army (Ret) US Air Force (Ret) US Navy (Ret) Distinguished Adjunct Professor of Senior Research Fellow Research Fellow, Hoover Institution Government and Public Policy The Center for Climate and Security Stanford University College of William and Mary Advisory Board Member The Center for Climate and Security Lieutenant Commander Oliver Barrett, Joshua Busby Elizabeth L. Chalecki, PhD US Navy (Ret) Associate Professor Asst Professor, International Relations Senior Research Fellow LBJ School of Public Affairs Department of Political Science The Center for Climate and Security University of Texas - Austin University of Nebraska – Omaha Nancy Colleton Taylor Dimsdale Francesco Femia President Head of Research Chief Executive Officer Institute for Global Environmental Strategies E3G The Council on Strategic Risks Co-Founder The Center for Climate and Security The Center for Climate and Security | 1025 Connecticut Ave., NW ∙ Suite 1000 ∙ Washington, DC 20036 | www.climateandsecurity.org 6 Rachel Fleishman Bishop Garrison Greg Gershuny Senior Fellow Director, National Security Outreach & Executive Director The Center for Climate and Security Veterans for American Ideals Energy & Environment Program Human Rights First The Aspen Institute Lukas Haynes Cullen Hendrix Andrew Holland Executive Director Professor Chief Operating Officer The David Rockefeller Fund Director, Sié Chéou-Kang Center for American Security Project Advisory Board Member International Security and Diplomacy The Center for Climate and Security Josef Korbel School of International Studies University of Denver Amber Houghstow Dr. Rachael Jonassen Dr. Marcus King Executive Director Associate Research Professor Associate Professor Peace Rising Sustainable Urban Planning Program The George Washington University George Washington University Advisory Board
Recommended publications
  • 2013.11.12 2256 Draft National Security Amicus Brief
    USCA Case #13-5192 Document #1465846 Filed: 11/12/2013 Page 1 of 39 ! ORAL ARGUMENT NOT YET SCHEDULED No. 13-5192 UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA CIRCUIT _____________________________ ALEC L., et al., Plaintiffs – Appellants, v. GINA McCARTHY, et al., Defendants – Appellees, and THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF MANUFACTURERS, et al., Intervenors for Defendants – Appellees _____________________________ On Appeal from the Unites States District Court for the District of Columbia (No. 11-cv-02235 (RLW)) _____________________________ BRIEF OF NATIONAL SECURITY EXPERTS AS AMICI CURIAE IN SUPPORT OF PLAINTIFFS-APPELLANTS SEEKING REVERSAL _____________________________ Matthew E. Miller Cuneo Gilbert & LaDuca, LLP 507 C Street NE Washington, DC 20002 ph: 202-789-3960 fax: 202-789-1813 Counsel for Amici Curiae ! USCA Case #13-5192 Document #1465846 Filed: 11/12/2013 Page 2 of 39 STATEMENT REGARDING SEPARATE BRIEFING Under D.C. Circuit Rule 29(d), amici curiae certify that it would not be practicable to file a joint brief with interests not related to national security and that a separate brief is necessary. To their knowledge, amici certify that no other amicus curiae brief supporting appellants addresses the various threats climate change poses for U.S. national security. Amici represent venerable, retired military officers who are experts on the national security implications of climate change and in a unique position to offer information to the Court on their area of expertise. ! i! USCA Case #13-5192 Document #1465846 Filed: 11/12/2013 Page 3 of 39 CERTIFICATE OF INTERESTED PARTIES, RULINGS, AND RELATED CASES A. Parties and Amici. Except for the following, all parties, intervenors, and amici appearing before the district court and in this Court are listed in the Brief for Plaintiffs-Appellants: Brigadier General Steve Anderson, USA (ret.), Vice Admiral Lee Gunn, USN (Ret.), and Rear Admiral David W.
    [Show full text]
  • A Scholarly Affair: Proceedings of the Cultural Studies Association Of
    The blogs of war: Narrating the Afghanistan and Iraq wars Richard Gehrmann University of Southern Queensland Abstract: The post 2001 ‘War(s) on Terror’ have seen changes to the manner in which war is communicated, and this offers opportunities to those writing the social history of war. These events reflect the contemporary realities of war and communication. Borderlands of scholarship have opened and the community of those at/of war can now be more openly engaged and interrogated by the scholarly community. Past conflicts have been marked by the contest between official government representations of reality and the image presented by the mainstream media. This dual dominance is increasingly challenged by virtual individuals, a challenge that provides scholars fresh space to engage with a community that is too often excluded. Social media offers a remarkable degree of access for scholars to complement official reports and mainstream media accounts of war. This paper explores these areas of scholarly engagement and assesses the development of the new virtual community at war, with an examination of the 2010 case of Richard Strandlof and his fraudulent identity as wounded American war veteran Rick Duncan who was actively opposing war. New media has been used by community activist groups who detect and publicise such impersonations in both Australia and the United States, and in a more prosaic manner by soldiers and their families who just want their voices to be heard. The recent conflicts in the Middle East, the ‘War(s) on Terror’, have been accompanied by changes to the manner in which war is communicated, and this offers opportunities to those writing the social history of war.
    [Show full text]
  • The Political, Security, and Climate Landscape in Oceania
    The Political, Security, and Climate Landscape in Oceania Prepared for the US Department of Defense’s Center for Excellence in Disaster Management and Humanitarian Assistance May 2020 Written by: Jonah Bhide Grace Frazor Charlotte Gorman Claire Huitt Christopher Zimmer Under the supervision of Dr. Joshua Busby 2 Table of Contents Executive Summary 3 United States 8 Oceania 22 China 30 Australia 41 New Zealand 48 France 53 Japan 61 Policy Recommendations for US Government 66 3 Executive Summary Research Question The current strategic landscape in Oceania comprises a variety of complex and cross-cutting themes. The most salient of which is climate change and its impact on multilateral political networks, the security and resilience of governments, sustainable development, and geopolitical competition. These challenges pose both opportunities and threats to each regionally-invested government, including the United States — a power present in the region since the Second World War. This report sets out to answer the following questions: what are the current state of international affairs, complexities, risks, and potential opportunities regarding climate security ​ issues and geostrategic competition in Oceania? And, what policy recommendations and approaches should the US government explore to improve its regional standing and secure its national interests? The report serves as a primer to explain and analyze the region’s state of affairs, and to discuss possible ways forward for the US government. Given that we conducted research from August 2019 through May 2020, the global health crisis caused by the novel coronavirus added additional challenges like cancelling fieldwork travel. However, the pandemic has factored into some of the analysis in this report to offer a first look at what new opportunities and perils the United States will face in this space.
    [Show full text]
  • FALL 2007 Sp2007orts Schedules
    VOL. XXVII, NO. 4 NO. XXVII, VOL. MonmouthMAGAZINE UNIVERSITY Groundbreaking For The MAC Unearthing Joseph Bonaparte’s Royal Residence Memories Of Vietnam Celebrating 10 Years Of Ex-Ed MonmouthMAGAZINE CALENDAR UNIVERSITY O F E V E N T S VOL. XXVII, NO. 4 2007 ALUMNI EVENTS PAUL G. GAFFNEY II President NOVEMBER 1-8 FEBRUARY 16 Alumni trip to Peru, including Machu Wine Tasting JEFFERY N. MILLS Picchu Wilson Hall—6-8 PM Vice President for University Advancement JANUARY 19 Publisher Beer Tasting MARILYNN W. PERRY Magill Commons—7-9 PM Director of Alumni Affairs SPECIAL EVENTS For more information, contact 732-571-3509 or 571-3494 MICHAEL SAYRE MAIDEN, JR. Editor NOVEMBER 9 DECEMBER 1 Sports Hall of Fame Induction Dinner Holiday Ball HEATHER MCCULLOCH MISTRETTA Wilson Hall—6:30 PM-10:30 PM Wilson Hall—8 PM Assistant to Editor Master of Ceremonies—Jack Ford HEATHER MCCULLOCH MISTRETTA SEAN P. SMITH, ‘97 MUSIC & THEATRE PERFORMING ARTS Contributing Writers LAUREN K. WOODS THEATRE NOVEMBER 8 JIM REME Metheny Trio—8 PM University Photographer NOVEMBER 8-18 NOVEMBER 16 R. DAVID BEALES All in the Timing by David Ives Photography 8 PM (3 PM—November 11 and 18) Hampton String Quartet—8 PM DECEMBER 6 DECEMBER 7 R. DAVID BEALES Father Alphonse & Orchestra of Saint ROCHELLE RITACCO Winter Concert (on the Grand Staircase of Peter By the Sea—8 PM Digital Imaging Wilson Hall)—8 PM FEBRUARY 22 DESIGN OF 4 POLLAK THEATRE Screening of State of Fear—7 PM Design For more information contact the box office at 732-263-5730.
    [Show full text]
  • Beyond Internal Conflict: the Emergent Practice of Climate Security
    Journal of Peace Research 2021, Vol. 58(1) 186–194 Beyond internal conflict: The emergent ª The Author(s) 2020 Article reuse guidelines: practice of climate security sagepub.com/journals-permissions DOI: 10.1177/0022343320971019 journals.sagepub.com/home/jpr Joshua W Busby LBJ School of Public Affairs, University of Austin-Texas Abstract The field of climate and security has matured over the past 15 years, moving from the margins of academic research and policy discussion to become a more prominent concern for the international community. The practice of climate and security has a broad set of concerns extending beyond climate change and armed conflict. Different national governments, international organizations, and forums have sought to mainstream climate security concerns empha- sizing a variety of challenges, including the risks to military bases, existential risks to low-lying island countries, resource competition, humanitarian emergencies, shocks to food security, migration, transboundary water manage- ment, and the risks of unintended consequences from climate policies. Despite greater awareness of these risks, the field still lacks good insights about what to do with these concerns, particularly in ‘fragile’ states with low capacity and exclusive political institutions. Keywords climate change, climate security, environmental security, human security During a visit to the Pacific island nation of Tuvalu in security; and third, how policy can be made more effec- 2019, UN Secretary-General Anto´nio Guterres wrote on tive going forward. Twitter: ‘We must stop Tuvalu from sinking and the world from sinking with Tuvalu’ (United Nations, The challenges 2019). Guterres underscored the existential risks of cli- mate change for low-lying island countries.
    [Show full text]
  • The UN Security Council and Climate Change
    Research Report The UN Security Council and Climate Change Dead trees form an eerie tableau Introduction on the shores of Maubara Lake in Timor-Leste. UN Photo/Martine Perret At the outset of the Security Council’s 23 Feb- particular the major carbon-emitting states, will ruary 2021 open debate on climate and security, show the level of commitment needed to reduce world-renowned naturalist David Attenborough carbon emissions enough to stave off the more dire delivered a video message urging global coopera- predictions of climate modellers. tion to tackle the climate crisis. “If we continue on While climate mitigation and adaptation 2021, No. #2 21 June 2021 our current path, we will face the collapse of every- measures are within the purview of the UN thing that gives us our security—food production; Framework Convention on Climate Change This report is available online at securitycouncilreport.org. access to fresh water; habitable, ambient tempera- (UNFCCC) and contributions to such measures tures; and ocean food chains”, he said. Later, he are outlined in the Paris Agreement, many Secu- For daily insights by SCR on evolving Security Council actions please added, “Please make no mistake. Climate change rity Council members view climate change as a subscribe to our “What’s In Blue” series at securitycouncilreport.org is the biggest threat to security that humans have security threat worthy of the Council’s attention. or follow @SCRtweets on Twitter. ever faced.” Such warnings have become common. Other members do not. One of the difficulties in And while the magnitude of this challenge is widely considering whether or not the Council should accepted, it is not clear if the global community, in play a role (and a theme of this report) is that Security Council Report Research Report June 2021 securitycouncilreport.org 1 1 Introduction Introduction 2 The Climate-Security Conundrum 4 The UN Charter and Security there are different interpretations of what is on Climate and Security, among other initia- Council Practice appropriate for the Security Council to do tives.
    [Show full text]
  • An Analysis of Climate Change and Human Security
    University of Texas at El Paso ScholarWorks@UTEP Open Access Theses & Dissertations 2020-01-01 Understanding the Connections: An Analysis of Climate Change and Human Security Erica Martinez University of Texas at El Paso Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.utep.edu/open_etd Part of the Environmental Sciences Commons, and the International Relations Commons Recommended Citation Martinez, Erica, "Understanding the Connections: An Analysis of Climate Change and Human Security" (2020). Open Access Theses & Dissertations. 3002. https://scholarworks.utep.edu/open_etd/3002 This is brought to you for free and open access by ScholarWorks@UTEP. It has been accepted for inclusion in Open Access Theses & Dissertations by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks@UTEP. For more information, please contact [email protected]. UNDERSTANDING THE CONNECTIONS: AN ANALYSIS OF CLIMATE CHANGE AND HUMAN SECURITY ERICA MARTINEZ Master’s Program in Political Science APPROVED: _______________________________________________ Charles R. Boehmer, Ph.D., Chair _______________________________________________ Irasema Coronado, Ph.D., Co-Chair ________________________________________________ William L. Hargrove, Ph.D. _________________________________________ Stephen Crites, Ph.D. Dean of the Graduate School Copyright © by Erica Martinez 2020 DEDICATION To Sophie, the light of my life. UNDERSTANDING THE CONNECTIONS: AN ANALYSIS OF CLIMATE CHANGE AND HUMAN SECURITY by ERICA MARTINEZ, B.A. THESIS Presented to the Faculty of the Graduate School of The University of Texas at El Paso in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of MASTER OF ARTS Department of Political Science THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT EL PASO May 2020 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I consider myself tremendously fortunate to be surrounded by intelligent, kind, and motivating people who inspire me daily.
    [Show full text]
  • The Field of Climate and Security: a Scan of the Literature
    THE FIELD OF CLIMATE AND SECURITY: A SCAN OF THE LITERATURE APRIL 2019 JOSHUA BUSBY LBJ School of Public Affairs, University of Texas at Austin This work carries a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 License. This license permits you to copy, distribute, and display this work as long as you mention and link back to the Social Science Research Council, attribute the work appropriately (including both author and title), and do not adapt the content or use it commercially. For details, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/us/. 1 About the SSRC Introduction The Social Science Research Council The SSRC Academic Network on Peace, Security, and the United (SSRC) is an independent, international, Nations is a new Council initiative that emerged out of a request nonprofit organization founded in 1923. from the UN Secretariat to provide UN entities and departments It fosters innovative research, nurtures charged with responsibility for peace and security with better, more new generations of social scientists, systematic access to new and emerging research from the field deepens how inquiry is practiced within and from within the academy. The Network also aims to facilitate and across disciplines, and mobilizes collaborative engagements between various institutions, research necessary knowledge on important networks, and professional associations on conflict-management public issues. relevant research, and between the UN and these academic institutions. The first meeting of the Academic Network examined the frameworks and methodologies used by academics to study the nexus between climate change and risks to sustaining peace, as well as the ways in which climate factors might affect the UN prevention agenda.
    [Show full text]
  • Climate Change, Migration, and Resiliency in South Asia: Cooperation for Climate Security
    THE U.S. ASIA-PACIFIC REBALANCE, NATIONAL SECURITY AND CLIMATE CHANGE A Climate and Security Correlations Series Edited by Caitlin E. Werrell and Francesco Femia November 2015 in partnership with CLIMATE CHANGE, MIGRATION, AND RESILIENCY IN SOUTH ASIA: COOPERATION FOR CLIMATE SECURITY Arpita Bhattacharyya and Michael Werz Center for American Progress Climate change is not a future challenge ‒ it is happening today. Tis March, U.S. Ambassador to India Rich Verma underlined this point in a speech in Kolkata. Verma warned that India and Bangladesh are already feeling the impacts of climate change, mentioning the 2014 fooding in Jammu and Kashmir, along with foods in Uttarakhand in 2013 and Assam in 2012, which displaced 1.5 million people. “Tis intersection of climate change, human migration, and governance will present novel challenges for South Asia in the decades to come,” he argued.1 Last year, the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report on “Impacts, Adaptation, and Vulnerability” made clear that the impacts of a warmer climate will intensify in the coming decades. Asia is experiencing more extreme temperatures and shifs in precipitation due to climate change, contributing to water scarcity and declining food production in many areas. Te IPCC report also projects that climate change will exacerbate existing pressure on natural resources and environmental degradation occurring in Asian cities already straining to accommodate rapid urbanization, industrialization, and economic development.2 A recent report by the Asian Development Bank estimates that South Asia risks losing almost 2 percent from annual gross domestic product by 2050 if fossil-fuel intensive energy consumption goes unchecked.
    [Show full text]
  • Atlantis 2.0: How Climate Change Could Make States Disappear – and What That Means for Global Security Andrew Holland1 and Esther Babson2
    EPICENTERS OF CLIMATE AND SECURITY: THE NEW GEOSTRATEGIC LANDSCAPE OF THE ANTHROPOCENE June 2017 Edited by: Caitlin E. Werrell and Francesco Femia Sponsored by: In partnership with: DISAPPEARING ISLANDS ATLANTIS 2.0: HOW CLIMATE ChaNGE COULD MAKE STATES DISAPPEAR – AND WhaT ThaT MEANS FOR GLOBAL SECURITY Andrew Holland1 and Esther Babson2 INTRODUCTION In the Fourth Century B.C., Plato wrote of how the great city of Atlantis was submerged beneath the ocean as punishment by the gods for becoming corrupt and greedy. In Plato’s telling, an advanced civilization was lost forever in a single day because its people had strayed from the will of the gods. Since then, the story – whether based in historical truth or only a lesson in morality – has captivated generations. Now, 2300 years later, the world may be facing a new Atlantis, as sea level rise – caused by climate change – is threatening to inundate civilizations again. The threat is global, but it is not shared equally. Like most of the effects of climate change, those most harmed by it are the populations with the fewest resources. At first, the greatest impacts will be felt by those living on low-lying islands like Kiribati and the Marshall Islands in the Pacific or the Maldives in the Indian Ocean. Life is difficult enough on these small islands, surrounded by the vastness of the ocean, without adding the challenges of sea level rise, more dangerous extreme weather, and the loss of food and fresh water resources. Unlike Plato’s Atlantis, however, the threat to small islands is easily predictable, if not preventable.
    [Show full text]
  • November, 2020 E-News
    November, 2020 EDUCATION NEWS On-air & Video On-Demand Resource Collections: Note Always Preview Content for Appropriate Grade Level Usage Native America Series Native America explores the world created by America’s First Peoples. The four part series reaches back 15,000 years to reveal massive cities aligned to the stars, unique systems of science and spirituality, and 100 million people connected by social networks spanning two continents. Airing on WXXI-TV Saturday, November 7 & 14, 4pm- 6pm. The series brings the latest Native voices and culture combined with archeological research combined with animation to bring it all to life. Learn More: https://wxxi.org/native-american PBS LearningMedia Native American Collections Special Collection of Native American Documentaries and Short Films On-air and On-Demand Race in America: WORLD Video On-Demand Collection: A collection of films by and about individuals in the Black community across the country and around the globe on topics through history and today. https://wxxi.org/bh/worldondemand 1 Support for Classroom, Remote & Hybrid Learning WXXI Education is here to support you with the ever changing requirements of the 2020-2021 school year. WXXI provides families and teachers with free resources, so that every student has access to learning opportunities – wherever they are. WXXI’s Learn At Home initiative offers a wide range of resources and supports available to P-12 students, educators, parents and caregivers, including on-air broadcast content each weekday and online resources and on-demand videos anytime you need them. Available at: wxxi.org/education ONLINE TOOLS FOR REMOTE LEARNING: LIVE VIDEO STREAMS YOU CAN USE: Go to: wxxi.org/education Assign students to watch episodes NEW: Teacher Virtual Training Session Schedules WXXI TV Live Stream (video.wxxi.org/livestream) on PBS LearningMedia: P-12 content by grade all devices with browsers.
    [Show full text]
  • Testimony: Climate Change and the Threat to National Security
    Testimony: Climate Change and the Threat to National Security Good Afternoon. My name is Hal Bidlack and I thank you for the opportunity to comment on the Environmental Protection Agency’s “Clean Power Plan” proposed rule. I am not a regulatory expert, so I will not comment on the specifics of the rule, but I do support the EPA for its ambition and goals. I appear today before you as a private individual. I am speaking only for myself and not for my employer or any other organization or entity. I was honored to spend over 25 years in uniform, retiring from the United States Air Force as a Lt Colonel in 2006. I hold a Ph.D. from the University of Michigan, where my research focused on environmental security. While on temporary duty to the National Security Council, I worked on climate change issues, and in 1997 was the author of the first draft of the DOD statement on the impact of climate change on US national security. I also taught environmental security while on the faculty of the US Air Force Academy. I began my military career as a missile launch officer, one of the “finger on the button” people at F.E. Warren Air Force Base in Wyoming. My service in the Air Force taught me that we cannot 1 wait to address looming threats. Then it was our adversaries in the Cold War. Now we face a gauntlet of threats to national security that range from extremists in non-state actors to traditional warfare, dangerous civil wars and beyond.
    [Show full text]