State of the Union: Pentagon Recognizes “Immediate Risks” Posed by Climate Change

In his State of the Union address last night, President Obama recognized the Pentagon’s concerns about the security risks of a changing climate, stating:

The Pentagon says that climate change poses immediate risks to our national security. We should act like it.

This statement is a direct reference to the Department of Defense’s 2014 Climate Change Adaptation Roadmap (DoD-CCAR), released on October 14 of last year, the first line of which is:

Climate change will affect the DoD’s ability to defend the nation and poses immediate risks to U.S. national security.

This recognition by the Pentagon is significant, as it suggests to policy-makers that climate change merits immediate attention on national security grounds.

The DoD-CCAR was hailed by military and national security leaders outside the Administration as well, including from members of the Center for Climate and Security’s Advisory Board.

For more, read the full DoD-CCAR here.