The Defense Department has released a new directive intended to help mitigate the impact of climate change on the U.S. military, the Federation of American Scientists reported Tuesday.
Steven Aftergood writes the directive calls for coordination between the defense undersecretary for intelligence and the director of national intelligence on the risks and effects of altered operating environments on defense intelligence programs.
“DoD must be able to adapt current and future operations to address the impacts of climate change in order to maintain an effective and efficient U.S. military,†according to the directive.
FAS says DoD noted in a 2015 report to Congress that the agency has observed “the impacts of climate change in shocks and stressors to vulnerable nations and communities, including in the United States, and in the Arctic, Middle East, Africa, Asia and South America.â€
The report predicted increased environmental degradation, poverty, social tensions, ineffectual leadership and regional stability issues in a number of countries due to climate change.
