‘Climate change is going to cost us’: How the US military is preparing for harsher environments
By: Andrew Eversden
August 9 at 8:00 AM
WASHINGTON — The aftermath of Hurricane Florence dumping 36 inches of rain on North Carolina in 2018 saw three Marine Corps installations flooded, costing taxpayers $3.6 billion in damage. A few weeks later, Hurricane Michael ripped through Tyndall Air Force Base, causing about $4.7 billion in damage at the Florida facility.
Then last year, leaders evacuated Travis Air Force Base in northern California due to nearby raging wildfires.
And today, Arctic Air Force bases hosting radar early warning systems and communication equipment are suffering coastal erosion, which is damaging seawalls, runways and infrastructure. Thawing permafrost and erosion threatens bases in the Arctic, damaging infrastructure. NASA tracks the extent of Arctic sea ice and estimates a declining 13.1 percent rate of change per decade.
https://www.defensenews.com/smr/energy-and-environment/2021/08/09/climate-change-is-going-to-cost-us-how-the-us-military-is-preparing-for-harsher-environments/
