The Defense Department must ditch its delusional approach to climate
BY TIM GALLAUDET, OPINION CONTRIBUTOR - 01/02/24 1:00 PM ET
Five senior officials in the Department of Defense (DOD) proudly explained in an op-ed last month why they attended the United Nations climate conference in Dubai, known as COP28. They cited the Biden administration’s 2022 National Security Strategy which calls climate change “the existential challenge of our time,” as well as the 2022 National Defense Strategy, which states that climate change creates new geopolitical threats and increases demands on the force while straining bases, equipment and readiness.
The problem with these claims, as well as the assumptions in the various climate action plans put forth by the Pentagon, is that they are too vague to make sound investment decisions; lack the analytical rigor required by standard defense risk analyses; and, in some cases, are based on totally inaccurate assessments about what is occurring with the planet’s climate.
I am not disputing that climate change is a critical consideration in discussions about national security. Take the Arctic, for example, where warming-induced sea ice loss is opening new shipping lanes and access to natural resources, enticing both China and Russia to become more assertive in the region.
The DOD’s emphasis on reducing emissions of greenhouse gases to mitigate climate change is a misplaced priority. A more impactful approach for the U.S. military is to focus on adapting to the changes already occurring in the geophysical Earth system, so that we are able to prevail in any operating environment.
https://thehill.com/opinion/national-security/4380722-the-dod-must-ditch-its-delusional-approach-to-climate/
