1. NS4960 Summer Term 2018 Climate Change and National Security

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

5. 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.