Climate Change: Pentagon Says Global Warming Presents Immediate Security Threat

Oct 13, 2014 | Coral Davenport, New York Times
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WASHINGTON — The Pentagon released a report Monday asserting decisively that climate change poses an immediate threat to national security, with increased risks from terrorism, infectious disease, global poverty and food shortages. It also predicted rising demand for military disaster response as extreme weather creates more global humanitarian crises.

The report lays out a road map for how the military will adapt to rising sea levels, more violent storms and widespread droughts. The Defense Department will begin by integrating plans for climate change risks across all of its operations, from war games and strategic defense planning situations to a rethinking of the movement of supplies.

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, speaking Monday at a summit meeting of defense ministers in Peru, highlighted the report’s findings and the global security threats of climate change.