It seems like one of these things doesn’t belong. And while
it’s true that the persistence of terrorist groups in the Middle East is a
phenomenon separate from global warming, two new reports and basic logic argue
that the U.S. Government needs to start looking at climate change as
inextricably linked to U.S. and global security.
Taken together, the reports sound an alarm that is often
ignored when politicians in the U.S. talk about their government’s
environmental responsibilities. Republicans, for their part, dismiss human-made
climate change while often trumpeting the importance of military preparedness.
When Democrats talk about global warming, they prefer a narrative that couples
economics with sea levels — a green economy will create jobs while slowing the
rise of oceans. Both parties tend to ignore the ways in which climate change
has led to conflict and the ways in which continued climate change will
escalate existing conflicts. And few institutions — political, governmental,
civilian, scientific, academic, etc. — have truly grappled with the potential
ramifications of what could happen if mankind found itself forced to take
drastic measures to stop global conflict and warming at one time.
Syria stands out as a modern example of how a complex matrix
of factors, including a historic drought, can create political instability.
Does President Bashar al-Assad have impressive popularity ratings in a world
without global warming? Probably not, but the civil war in Syria is at least
partially about basic resources and the lack thereof has compounded the refugee
crisis.
Read the Inverse
story - “When Climate Change Is a National Security Issue, Geoengineering Is a Disaster.”
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