Opinion

Trump’s climate decision puts military men and women at risk

Dozens of Connecticut residents converge along a bridge at a vigil and rally for the environment and against President Donald Trump’s recent decision to withdraw the United States from the Paris climate accord on Sunday in Westport, Connecticut. People must speak out against this action. less Dozens of Connecticut residents converge along a bridge at a vigil and rally for the environment and against President Donald Trump’s recent decision to withdraw the United States from the Paris climate ... more Photo: Spencer Platt /Getty Images Photo: Spencer Platt /Getty Images Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Trump’s climate decision puts military men and women at risk 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

President Donald Trump recently announced his decision to pull the United States out of the Paris climate agreement.

Unanimously adopted by nearly 200 countries in 2015, the Paris agreement was a historic step forward in the fight against climate change. Every signatory — nations big and small, developing and developed — volunteered to enact an individualized plan to cut their carbon emissions to reduce the harmful effects of climate change.

Trump, his administration and his allies in Congress are making a catastrophic choice out of ignorance and shortsightedness. This move will cause us to lose credibility and make it harder to forge progress on critical security and diplomatic issues ranging from terrorism to trade. And countries will no longer view the U.S. in our traditional leadership role of rallying nations to the common cause of solving big problems — indeed, China and the European Union are already announcing a new alliance for cleaner energy source.

We’re starting to look like a country that goes it alone — specifically by turning tail when the going gets tough.

Speaking of tough, the highest price for pulling out of the Paris agreement may well be paid by our men and women in uniform. They are the ones on the front lines defending the very resources contributing to the adverse effects of climate change. In the Strait of Hormuz, located between Iran and Oman, the U.S. Navy spends $84 billion each year protecting 20 percent of the world’s oil as it is shipped through the strait’s waters. Securing oil supply lines like these puts their lives at risk, to say nothing of the operational risks surrounding big containers of very flammable liquid and gas fuels in active war zones.

Climate change also causes more frequent extreme weather events, which means more requests for humanitarian aid across the globe; meanwhile, droughts and resource shortages end up strengthening the very extremist groups our troops face on the battlefield. In light of these dangers, the Department of Defense describes climate change as a “threat multiplier” because it makes the jobs of our troops harder and riskier.

If we choose not to take steps to move away from the fossil fuels of the past and toward the clean energy of the future, we will be condemning our allies, our children and our loved ones in uniform to an increasingly dangerous world — and a world in which the United States is a backward outsider.

As someone who was born and raised in San Antonio, I have tremendous respect for those who commit their lives to serving their country. There is no way to sufficiently express our gratitude to those willing to give their lives for the rest of us. The least we can do is help ensure that we are making their situation safer, not more dangerous. This is why I believe it is so important for all of us to speak against this decision.

So as President Trump tries to tear the United States away from the Paris agreement, we must stand strong alongside our allies, and our men and women in uniform while also demanding a safer, more secure future for our children who will have to live in the world we leave behind.

Simran Jeet Singh is an assistant professor of religion at Trinity University. He is also a Security Fellow with the Truman National Security Project. The views expressed here are his own.