Climate change a threat to national security.

The Director of the U.S. Navy Task Force on Climate Change, Rear Admiral David Titley gave an assessment of the risks presented by climate change at the Copenhagen conference in December 2009 , including the likely need for greater humanitarian and disaster relief missions, and the dangers posed by such “wild cards” as ocean acidification and rising sea levels. But he also expressed the hope that “climate change may be viewed as a common enemy that will bring nations together toward a common end.”

The Department of Defense Quadrennial Defense Review issued in February 2010, which is a periodic assessment of national security issues facing the United States, the Pentagon stated:

“Climate change will affect DoD in two broad ways. First, climate change will shape the operating environment, roles, and missions that we undertake. The U.S. Global Change Research Program, composed of 13 federal agencies, reported in 2009 that climate-related changes are already being observed in every region of the world, including the United States and its coastal waters. Among these physical changes are increases in heavy downpours, rising temperature and sea level, rapidly retreating glaciers, thawing permafrost, lengthening growing seasons, lengthening ice-free seasons in the oceans and on lakes and rivers, earlier snowmelt, and alterations in river flows.

Assessments conducted by the intelligence community indicate that climate change could have significant geopolitical impacts around the world, contributing to poverty, environmental degradation, and the further weakening of fragile governments. Climate change will contribute to food and water scarcity, will increase the spread of disease, and may spur or exacerbate mass migration.”

This Quarterly Defence Report can be found here.

The problem is that certain industries have spent millions on promoting climate change skepticism while like most issues, no real dialogue seems to exist on the matter. The problem is that climate skepticism runs contrary to scientific thought and more informed discussions.