Statement for the Record



Peter Kiemel

Counselor, National Intelligence Council

Office of the Director of National Intelligence



FOR A HEARING ON

"The National Security Implications of Climate Change"

BEFORE THE

PERMANENT SELECT COMMITTEE ON INTELLIGENCE

U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES



Wednesday, 5 June 2019

Chairman Schiff, Ranking Member Nunes, and distinguished members of the Committee, thank you for the opportunity to discuss the Intelligence Community's (IC) assessment of the national seciruty implications of climate change.



Changing climate is just one of a multitude of factors--alongside things like demographics, economic and political factors, and technology--that the IC considers when it examines global strategic trends and the potential threats they pose to U.S. national security. The IC does not assess the direct effects of climate change on the U.S. homeland, nor does it evaluate the science behind the scientific reports. To inform our judgments, we rely on reports produced by U.S. federal science agencies, peer-reviewed scientific journals, and reports from international scientific organizations. Complexities in Earth's systems, uncertainties in modeling, and the unpredictability of humanchoices make it difficult to project when and where specific disruptive events and other climatological effects will have the most significant national security effects.

Download the Statement for the Record