Bernie Sanders still believes climate change is the greatest threat to national security, links it to the growth of terrorism

At the Democratic debate on Saturday, Bernie Sanders defended his claim that climate change is the gravest security threat to the United States, tying it directly to the threat of terrorism.

"In fact, climate change is directly related to the growth of terrorism. And if we do not get our act together and listen to what the scientists say, you're going to see countries all over the world — this is what the CIA says — they're going to be struggling over limited amounts of water, limited amounts of land to grow their crops, and you're going to see all kinds of international conflict," Sanders said.

But while he still "absolutely" defends that climate change is the greatest threat to national security, Sanders added that, "of course international terrorism is a major issue we have got to address today."

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Watch below. Jeva Lange