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Hampton Roads: Climate Adaptation, Preparedness and Resilience Exercise
Hampton Roads from space, by NASA/JPL
By, Sarah Volkman, Policy and Research Associate, Center for Climate and Security
Early this month, legislators convened in the Hampton Roads area of Virginia to discuss the impacts of sea level rise on the region at two major events. The threat to military installations in Hampton Roads has been one of the important discussions of the meetings. (more…)
Arctic Climate Security Weekly Round-Up: The U.S. as an Arctic Nation
For many, the Arctic seems so remote that it may as well be on the moon. But the United States is very much an Arctic nation, and the security implications of climate change effects on the region are significant.
A new report from the Center for a New American Security, and a hearing in the U.S. House of Representatives this week, provide much-needed attention to this critical issue, particularly in light of the lead-up to the U.S. Chairmanship of the Arctic Council. Both the report, and testimonies by Admiral Robert Papp, Jr., USCG (Ret), U.S. Special Representative for the Arctic, and Mr. Andrew Holland, Senior Fellow for Energy and Climate at the American Security Project, shed light on the importance of numerous emerging security challenges in the Arctic, including climate change. Details and links to both are listed below. (more…)
Must Watch: Dr. Chad Briggs on Climate Security Then and Now
HICKAM AIR FORCE BASE, HAWAII (Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Shane A. Cuomo)
In case you missed it, Dr. Chad Briggs recently gave a keynote address, “Making Your Own Fate: Climate Risks and Planning for Security,” at the 11th Annual Trudeau Foundation Conference, Weathering Change Pathways to Sustainability In Canada. The conference asked “executives from the insurance and financial sectors, social entrepreneurs, an advisor to the US military, energy experts, and some of Canada’s top economists to take a hard look at such topics as food security, the future of international governance arrangements, and Canada’s energy landscape.” All presentations from the conference can be found here. (more…)
Top Climate Security Implications for Latin America: A Regional Breakdown
Severe flooding is one of many devastating effects of
climate change, as the Caribbean island nation Dominica experienced in
2011. Credit: Desmond Brown/IPS
By Lieutenant Commander Oliver-Leighton Barrett, U.S. Navy (ret) Senior Research Fellow, The Center for Climate and Security
From December 1-12, world leaders are meeting in Lima, Peru to lay the groundwork for a global agreement on climate change. But aside from being a setting for this round of international climate talks, the Latin American region is facing significant security and development threats from climate change that are not often reported.
Climate change is a stressor that will compound, and already is compounding, vexing preexisting developmental challenges across the regions’ states – testing governments to the limits of their capacities and affecting populations in diverse ways. While this “stressor” is becoming better appreciated by development stakeholders, a dimension that is not as well-appreciated is the impact climatic and environmental shifts will have on states’ security in general, and on the operations of regional militaries more specifically. Below is a sub-regional breakdown – a sort of “get to the point” compilation – of the implications of climate change on this growing, dynamic and increasingly relevant region of the globe. The compilation draws from and builds on a joint military assessment I contributed to as a consultant for U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM). The geographic categories below reflect a structure commonly used in the U.S defense sector. (more…)