US president issues forceful call to action to combat climate change, framing global warming as national security priority

This article is more than 5 years old

This article is more than 5 years old

American politicians who deny that rising seas, thawing permafrost and longer wildfires are the crippling effects of global warming pose a serious threat to US national security, Barack Obama said on Wednesday.

The US president issued a forceful call to action to combat climate change, framing global warming as a national security priority, at the commencement ceremony – or graduation – of the United States coast guard academy in New London, Connecticut.



They’ll say, ‘You know, I’m not a scientist.' Well, I’m not either Barack Obama

In his speech, Obama detailed the ways the US military would be forced to respond to climate change in the future. He called refusing to act “a dereliction of duty” and said it undermined American readiness.



“This is not just a problem for countries on the coast or for certain regions of the world,” 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.



“We need to act, and we need to act now,” he said.



He also discussed the risk to global security from climate change and large weather-related disasters that could fuel political instability and tensions.

Obama’s speech on climate change comes as he is trying to build support for an international agreement to cut greenhouse gas emissions. Global talks on the deal are slated for Paris in December.



“Politicians who say they care about military readiness ought to care about this as well,” Obama said of the climate deniers.



Several times Obama lambasted those who refused to endorse the science of climate change.

“They’ll say, ‘You know, I’m not a scientist,’” Obama said. “Well, I’m not either. But the best scientists in the world know that climate change is happening.”

He added: “Our analysts in the intelligence community know climate change is happening. Our military leaders – generals and admirals, active duty and retired – know it’s happening. Our homeland security professionals know it is happening. And our coast guard knows it’s happening.”





The Pentagon is assessing the vulnerability to climate change of its 7,000 bases, installations and facilities, many of which are on the coast, the White House has said.



Obama is set to highlight damage to the navy and air bases at Norfolk, Virginia, from increasing floods, to Alaskan facilities built on thawing permafrost, and to military training areas in western states from wildfires.

This summer, his administration will finalize regulations to cut carbon emissions from power plants, a step that has been fought by Republicans who control Congress.



He has also said he will make a decision before he leaves office on the long-stalled Keystone XL crude oil pipeline from Canada, a ruling he has said hinges in part on whether the TransCanada Corp project would boost carbon emissions.





