Obama Highlights Long-Term Climate Security Threats, Releases Review of Federal Resources

May 20, 2015 | Schuyler Null
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In a commencement speech at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy today, President Obama said “climate change constitutes a serious threat to global security, an immediate risk to our national security, and, make no mistake, it will impact how our military defends our country.”

Rising sea levels, storms, droughts, wildfires, and melting permafrost are already damaging military facilities and affecting training, he said. One foot of sea-level rise could cost the United States $200 billion by the end of the century, including inundating critical transportation and energy infrastructure.