|
|
CLIMATE CHANGE-US: Grasping the Geopolitics of Warming
By Eli Clifton
WASHINGTON, Apr 9 (IPS) - The Central Intelligence Agency, National
Security Agency, the Pentagon and the Federal Bureau of Investigation
should pool data and offer a comprehensive review of the national security
threat posed by global warming, say U.S. Senators Dick Durbin and Chuck
Hagel.
Last week, Durbin, an Illinois Democrat, and Hagel, a Republican from
Nebraska, introduced bipartisan legislation that would require a National
Intelligence Estimate (NIE) to assess the security threats posed by global
climate change.
NIE's are the federal government's most authoritative reports on issues
concerning national security and contain the coordinated judgments of all
U.S. intelligence agencies regarding predictions of future events and
contingencies.
"For years, too many of us have viewed global warming as simply an
environmental or economic issue. We now need to consider it as a security
concern," said Durbin.
"Many of the most severe effects of global warming are expected in regions
where fragile governments are least capable of responding to them. Failing
to recognise and plan for the geopolitical consequences of global warming
would be a serious mistake," he said. "This intelligence assessment will
guide policymakers in protecting our national security and averting
potential international crises."
Both senators say an NIE is necessary to effectively compare and contrast
the information gathered by different intelligence agencies and compile a
comprehensive report on the possible geopolitical consequences of climate
change.
Durbin and Hagel's bill, the Global Climate Change Security Oversight Act,
would authorise the intelligence community to provide an estimate of the
risks posed by climate change for countries and regions that are of
economic or military interest to the United States, or that are at serious
risk of humanitarian suffering.
Situations such as water scarcity, food shortages or flooding may
exacerbate conflict along economic, ethnic or sectarian divisions and may
lead to large displacements of people and mass migration.
The bill would empower the NIE to examine these issues in the context of
the next 30 years, as well as funding additional research by the
Department of Defence to examine the impact of climate change on military
operations.
"This bipartisan legislation takes on an important emerging policy
issue - the impact of climate change on national security," said General
Charles F. Wald, former deputy commander of Headquarters U.S. European
Command. "I support its call for a National Intelligence Estimate of the
topic and authorising the secretary of defence to conduct further research
on the military impact of climate change."
In 2006, Pres. George W. Bush's National Security Strategy acknowledged
that environmental issues pose a national and international security
challenge.
The United Nations Security Council has also acknowledged the threats
posed by global warming and put climate change on its agenda for the first
time, warning that global warming could be a catalyst for conflict.
In 2003, Pentagon analysts Peter Schwartz and Doug Randall released a
report that explored how an abrupt climate change scenario could
potentially destabilise the geopolitical environment, leading to
skirmishes, battles and even war due to resource constraints.
The study suggested that as tensions mount around resource shortages,
nations with the resources to do so may build virtual fortresses around
their countries, preserving their resources while other nations will
engage in struggles for access to food, clean water or energy.
"...(T)he way forward is to responsibly address the issue of climate
change with a national strategy that incorporates economic, environmental
and energy priorities. These issues are inextricably linked and changes to
one will affect the other two," said Hagel.
"Risk assessment is essential to putting our national resources in the
places where they will be most effective. This is even more important when
assessing risk to national security. This legislation will provide
information we need to continue to help make our country secure in the
years to come."
(END/2007)
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
What is RSS?
