The U.S. military has considered climate change a national security threat for years, and has been working to reduce its massive carbon footprint by using alternative fuels, for example. But in a report released Monday, the Pentagon for the first time said global warming is a security threat right now. "Climate change will affect the Department of Defense's ability to defend the nation and poses immediate risks to U.S. national security," the 20-page 2014 Climate Change Adaptation Roadmap begins.
Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel reiterated the point at a defense summit in Peru. "We must be clear-eyed about the security threats presented by climate change," he told his fellow defense ministers, "and we must be proactive in addressing them." He added that warming temperatures are a "threat multiplier," exacerbating existing problems from "infectious disease to armed insurgencies," plus new security issues in the future.
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