CIA closes its climate change office

The CIA has quietly disbanded its controversial Center on Climate Change and National Security, an office created under Leon Panetta in 2009 to focus on environmental-security issues like water shortages and rising sea levels. A CIA spokesman said the study of these issues would continue at the agency, but no longer in a stand-alone office. From its start, the center drew criticism from Republicans, who considered it a costly distraction from the agency’s main focus. “It was unnecessary, wasteful, and totally out of place,” said Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.). “It’s critically important for the CIA to focus its resources on preventing terrorism and keeping Americans safe.”

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up