Environment: –
Climate change will increasingly exacerbate risks to U.S. national security interests as the physical impacts increase and geopolitical tensions mount about the global response to the challenge. The increasing physical effects of climate change also are likely to intensify or cause domestic and cross-border geopolitical flashpoints. (Source: ODNI)
The foregoing 2023 Annual Threat Assessment of the U.S. Intelligence Community identifies climate – and, by association, the environment more generally – as critical to U.S. national security. Domestically, climate change impacts national security in a number of important ways: the increased incidence and severity of natural disasters, water scarcity, soil erosion, sea-level rise, and heat-related injuries, among them. Internationally, the negative impacts of dramatically changing, degraded environmental conditions can lead to hunger, migration, and inter- and intra-state conflict, all of which pose major challenges to U.S., regional, and global security.
If we are to take at face value the public pronouncements of the Biden administration, the U.S. aims to be a leader in addressing the climate crisis. The administration has taken concrete steps to increase U.S. leadership, including providing significant funding for environmental and climate initiatives. The increased funding, however, comes after decades of diminished levels of investment, thereby making the U.S. a lagging competitor internationally, compared to other countries.
To more fully realize its climate ambitions and fulfill its environmental leadership role more generally, the U.S. must undertake several important policy initiatives: 1) establishing and maintaining forward momentum to meet stated climate goals; 2) increasing U.S. international influence in the climate and environmental arenas; 3) mitigating the climate-related risks to national security; and 4) leading the development of new environmental technologies to sustain existing industry advantages.
In performing this assessment, the Environment and Climate Industry Study engaged a wide array of stakeholders throughout the environmental community: government scientists, diplomats, and regulators; senior private-sector executives; international organization staffs; and non-governmental organizations. These engagements combined with individual research that, collectively, was integrated into this final report.
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