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NATO Allies Demand Ambitious Response to Climate Risks
Sailors assigned to the visit, board, search, and seizure team from the guided-missile frigate USS Halyburton, provide water to fisherman in the Gulf of Aden. Halyburton is deployed with Commander, NATO Task Force 508 supporting Operation Ocean Shield.(photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Scott Raegen/Released)
On October 12th, the NATO Parliamentary Assembly (PA), a group of lawmakers from NATO member states, passed a resolution urging Alliance members to more fully recognize climate risks and increase their foreign and national security policy responses. According to the NATO PA press release, this is the most recent step in a series of actions NATO has taken to better prepare for and respond to the security risks associated with climate change. From the release:
Climate change has been rising on the NATO agenda. As Allies observed in the 2010 Strategic Concept and reaffirmed at the 2014 NATO summit, climate change has the power to shape the Euro-Atlantic security environment, with “the potential to significantly affect NATO planning and operations.” Building on this momentum, the Allied lawmakers are now calling on NATO to take the next step and “increase the frequency of military and political consultations on climate change within NATO.”
Upcoming Climate and Security Events Around the World
As a testament to the increasing demand for a broader and more nuanced understanding of how climate change interacts with foreign policy and national security priorities, there are A LOT of great upcoming climate and security events. Below is a list of public events with links to more information. We will be providing summaries of as many of these as possible via this blog, Twitter (@CntrClimSec) and Facebook (Center for Climate and Security). If you plan on attending, or following along online, keep the conversation flowing by using the hashtag #ClimateSecurity. (more…)
5 things to know about Hurricanes, Hampton Roads and National Security
The aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) departs Naval Station Norfolk ahead of Hurricane Irene. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Nathan Parde
By Matt Connolly, Center for Climate and Security Virginia Project Fellow
With Hurricane Joaquin threatening to hit the eastern seaboard this weekend, the United States’ largest naval base is on high alert. At Naval Station Norfolk, sailors are working to secure the base against impending flooding and prepare for Sortie Condition Bravo, an order for all Navy ships in Virginia’s military-saturated Hampton Roads region to be prepared to leave port within 24 hours in order to avoid damage to ships and piers from high winds and seas.
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Australian Defence Force: Aligning Climate Security Strategy with US & UK
Australian peacekeepers unload engineering equipment. Photo by, Australian Civil-Military Centre
The Australian Climate Council recently released a report: “Be Prepared: Climate Change, Security and Australia’s Defence Force.” The report provides a good overview of climate change risks to national security and adds a critical look at how the Australian Defence Force is (and is not) preparing for those risks, and how this compares to US and UK defense forces. The report draws from an international team of reviewers including CCS advisory board member Rear Admiral Dave Titley USN (Ret), as well as Professor Jon Barnett, Professor Alan Dupont, Captain Leo Goff, USN (ret.), Dr. Liz Hanna, and Rear Admiral Neil Morisetti RN (ret.). (more…)