Rear Admiral Neil Morisetti to the EU: “Failure to set a robust 2030 climate target will hurt our national security”
Caitlin Werrell and Francesco Femia
For almost a decade, Royal Navy Rear Admiral Neil Morisetti has been an intelligent and measured public voice for action on addressing the national security implications of a changing climate. In addition to his former roles as the UK’s Special Representative for Climate Change, and before that, the UK’s Climate and Energy Security Envoy, he helped found the Global Military Advisory Council on Climate Change, a group of serving and retired military officers “committed to stressing their concerns about the security implications of climate change and to promoting a positive role of the military worldwide to help address the challenge of climate change.” In this context, his warnings should be taken seriously. He has delivered just such a serious warning to the European Commission in advance of the release of its “2030 climate change White Paper” in an article titled “Failure to set a robust 2030 climate target will hurt our national security.” In it, he recognizes the leadership role the European Union has played in climate mitigation, but asserts that:
…a failure to set an ambitious greenhouse gas emissions reduction target for 2030 would mean a failure to achieve the necessary resilience to cope with the impact of a changing climate. It would be gambling with not just the environment but also global stability and prosperity today and for generations to come.
