Australia faces potentially disastrous consequences of climate change, inquiry told

Military and climate experts, including a former chief of the defence force, have warned that Australia faces potential “disastrous consequences” from climate change, including “revolving” natural disasters and the forced migration of tens of millions of people across the region, overwhelming security forces and government.

Climate scientists warn security threats posed by
 climate change have been underestimated and
Australia has been ‘walking away’ from research
 that would help the country prepare. 

Former defence force chief Adm Chris Barrie, now adjunct professor at the strategic and defence studies centre at the Australian National University, said in a submission to a Senate inquiry that Australia’s ability to mitigate and respond to the impacts of climate change had been corrupted by political timidity: “Australia’s climate change credentials have suffered from a serious lack of political leadership”.

The inquiry into the security ramifications of climate change also heard from some of the country’s leading climate scientists, who warned the security threats posed by climate change had been underestimated, and complained Australia had been “walking away” from exactly the type of research that would help the country prepare.

Read the story by Ben Doherty and Michael Slezak on The Guardian - “Australia faces potentially disastrous consequences of climate change, inquiry told.”