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Climate Change Raises Global Security Issues
by
findingDulcinea Staff
The opening of the Northwest Passage could lead to international disputes over shipping routes. Global warming has prompted a variety of security concerns.
30-Second-Summary
Foreign Affairs warns that the melting of the polar ice caps could have dramatic global security implications, as nations scramble to take advantage of new trade routes and resources available in the area.
The article argues that the United States must lead the world in finding diplomatic solutions to the conflicts that will inevitably develop.
The story comes on the heels of a recent discussion by EU officials about the security risks posed by climate change, especially in the Mideast, and an upcoming United Nations conference on climate change in Bali.
The effect of climate change on global security is a discussion that was underway in 2004, when the U.S. Department of Defense commissioned two futurologists, Peter Schwartz and Doug Randall, to write a report that outlined several doomsday scenarios, such as the dawning of a new ice age.
Media outlets and environmental groups, such as The Nation, pointed out the discrepancy between the Pentagon’s study and the Bush administration’s policies.
“Pentagon people are not known as wild environmentalists,” a science professor said to Commondreams.org, a progressive news outlet.
European publications, such as The Guardian, were especially incensed, calling the study a “secret report suppressed by U.S. defense chiefs.”
The study’s authors later responded that the initial reaction was misconstrued and that their report described a highly unlikely, although plausible, worst-case scenario.
The article argues that the United States must lead the world in finding diplomatic solutions to the conflicts that will inevitably develop.
The story comes on the heels of a recent discussion by EU officials about the security risks posed by climate change, especially in the Mideast, and an upcoming United Nations conference on climate change in Bali.
The effect of climate change on global security is a discussion that was underway in 2004, when the U.S. Department of Defense commissioned two futurologists, Peter Schwartz and Doug Randall, to write a report that outlined several doomsday scenarios, such as the dawning of a new ice age.
Media outlets and environmental groups, such as The Nation, pointed out the discrepancy between the Pentagon’s study and the Bush administration’s policies.
“Pentagon people are not known as wild environmentalists,” a science professor said to Commondreams.org, a progressive news outlet.
European publications, such as The Guardian, were especially incensed, calling the study a “secret report suppressed by U.S. defense chiefs.”
The study’s authors later responded that the initial reaction was misconstrued and that their report described a highly unlikely, although plausible, worst-case scenario.
Headline Link: ‘Arctic Meltdown: The Economic and Security Implications of Global Warming’
The rapid melting of the Arctic could prompt armed conflicts as the region's abundance of natural resources and new shipping routes become more accessible. Foreign Affairs recommends that the United States lead the way in finding diplomatic solutions to the conflicts that may arise as nations scramble for the area’s resources.
Source: Foreign Affairs
‘Climate Change Poses Security Risks, According to EU Diplomats’
In a paper prepared for an EU summit this month, diplomats warn that fighting climate change should be part of a preventive security policy. Increased natural disasters and shortages of resources such as water and food could affect European security. The paper cites the possibility of water wars in the Middle East as a particular danger.
Source: Financial Times
Climate change could escalate conflicts in the Middle East, warns the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization. The UN says that reduced agricultural production and water shortages could create conflicts over resources such as food and water.
Source: International Herald Tribune
Background Links: An Abrupt Climate Change Scenario and Its Implications for United States National Security
A 2004 eport commissioned by the Pentagon suggests “imagining the unthinkable” when it comes to the potential impact of climate change. The study’s authors, Peter Schwartz and Doug Randall, posit that instead of being a gradual phenomenon that humans can adapt to, climate change might occur abruptly, with potentially catastrophic consequences.
Source: Global Business Network
A 2007 report by Schwartz and Randall outlines the “plausible” effects of climate change and offers a “system vulnerability approach” to understanding and anticipating climate-related disruptions. The Web site of the Monitor consultant group provides the report as a PDF.
Source: Monitor
Opinion & Analysis: The response to the 2004 Pentagon report
The CIA, the Pentagon and the UN have all issued reports forecasting that “soft issues” such as climate change could endanger global stability. The Nation predicts that the increasing consensus will lead U.S. policymakers to concede that a global development strategy to address these issues is necessary.
Source: The Nation blog
Progressive community news outlet Commondreams.org quotes Peter Schwartz, one of the authors of the global warming study, as saying, “I did not write an impossible scenario.” He also says that report's predictions could play out in the next 5 to 15 years. “Pentagon people are not known as wild environmentalists,” a science professor is reported as saying in reaction to the report.
Source: Commondreams.org
The Guardian reports on what they call a “secret report suppressed by U.S. defense chiefs” about the security implications of climate change. The newspaper also outlines Europe’s outrage over American climate change policies. “If the Pentagon is sending out that sort of message, than this is an important document indeed,” said Sir John Houghton, a former official with the U.K. Meteorological Office.
Source: The Guardian
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