Government Unveils Suite of Analyses on Climate Change

October 21, 2021 by TWN Staff
Government Unveils Suite of Analyses on Climate Change
Emissions from a coal-fired power plant are silhouetted against the setting sun in Independence, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel, File)

Several federal agencies representing the core of the executive branch’s national security and foreign policy apparatus, are releasing a suite of reports on the impact of climate change at home and abroad, and particularly on how to deal with the refugees a changing world climate is sure to create.

“These analyses will serve as a foundation for our critical work on climate and security moving forward,” a senior administration official said in a call with reporters Wednesday night.

“It is important to flag that these analyses reinforce the President’s commitment to the United States: making evidence-based decisions guided by the best available science and data,” the official said.

The first of four reports released Thursday is the National Intelligence Estimate on Climate Change. 

“For those of you that may not be familiar with this product, the NIE is the most authoritative assessment from the intelligence community and represents the consensus view of all 18 intelligence community elements,” the official said.

“Climate change will increasingly exacerbate a number of risks to U.S. national security interests from both physical impacts that could cascade into security challenges, to how countries respond to the climate challenge,” the official added.

The three broad categories of risks identified in the NIE include: increased geopolitical tension as countries argue over who should be doing more and how quickly, and compete in the ensuing energy transition; the risk of cross-border geopolitical flashpoints as countries take steps to secure their interests; and the risk of climate effects straining country-level stability in select countries and regions of concern. 

“The intelligence community judges that all of these risks will increase and that no country will be spared from the challenges directly related to climate change,” the official said. 

The second report is the Defense Department’s Climate Risk Analysis. This is the first Department of Defense report focused on the strategic and mission implications of climate change.

The third product is the Department of Homeland Security Strategic Framework to Address Climate Change.  

DHS is releasing a Strategic Framework for Addressing Climate Change to govern the department’s efforts to combat the climate crisis. The Strategic Framework builds on DHS’s Climate Action Plan and applies to strategy, plans, policy, and budgets across the department’s agencies. 

The report will include what the official described as “five lines of effort.”  

The first is empowering individuals and communities to develop climate resilience. The second will be building readiness to respond to increases in climate-driven emergencies. The third, incorporating climate science into strategy, policy, programs, and budgets. The fourth, investing in a sustainable and resilient Department of Homeland Security. And the fifth, ensuring that the DHS workforce is informed by climate change. 

The fourth and final product is a first-of-its-kind U.S. government assessment of the impact climate change is having on human migration.  

The report identifies migration as an important form of adaptation to the impacts of climate change and, in some cases, an essential response to climate threats — response to climate threats, to livelihoods and wellbeing.

It will highlight the geopolitical implications of this migration, the need for foreign assistance, the protection and resettlement of affected individuals, and multilateral engagement.

“The report will also talk about how addressing individuals’ human security can decrease the likelihood of migration and second-order implications for international security,” the official said.

The report will also underscore that it is critical to approach these efforts in a way that acknowledges that in almost all cases, climate change is not the sole driver of migration.

A+
a-
  • climate change
  • White House
  • In The News

    Health

    Voting

    Climate

    March 15, 2024
    by Tom Ramstack
    Senate Told Growing Wildfire Threat Needs New Strategies

    WASHINGTON — The number of wildfires driven by climate change has grown but the U.S. effort to control them has... Read More

    WASHINGTON — The number of wildfires driven by climate change has grown but the U.S. effort to control them has not, according to emergency response officials at a Senate hearing Thursday. At least not fast enough to prevent disasters like the fire that ravaged Maui in... Read More

    Storm Carrying Massive 'Gorilla Hail' Hits Parts of Kansas and Missouri

    ST. LOUIS (AP) — Massive chunks of hail pelted parts of Kansas and Missouri on Wednesday night, bringing traffic to... Read More

    ST. LOUIS (AP) — Massive chunks of hail pelted parts of Kansas and Missouri on Wednesday night, bringing traffic to a standstill along Interstate 70, as storms unleashed possible tornadoes and meteorologists urged residents to stay indoors. There were three unconfirmed reports of tornadoes in Wabaunsee... Read More

    Climate, a Major Separator for Biden and Trump, Is a Dividing Line in Many Other Races

    RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — The race for the White House isn’t the only one with big stakes for climate policy.... Read More

    RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — The race for the White House isn’t the only one with big stakes for climate policy. In campaigns for Congress and for governor around the country, candidates are talking about how green the grid should be, too. Voters are increasingly feeling the impacts... Read More

    The First-Ever European Climate Risk Assessment Finds a Continent Unprepared for Growing Extremes

    Europe is facing growing climate risks and is unprepared for them, the European Environment Agency said in its first-ever risk... Read More

    Europe is facing growing climate risks and is unprepared for them, the European Environment Agency said in its first-ever risk assessment for the bloc Monday. The agency said Europe is prone to more frequent and more punishing weather extremes — including increasing wildfires, drought, more unusual... Read More

    Fewer Fish and More Algae? Scientists Seek to Understand Impacts of Historic Lack of Great Lakes Ice

    RACINE, Wis. (AP) — Michigan Tech University biologists have been observing a remote Lake Superior island's fragile wolf population every... Read More

    RACINE, Wis. (AP) — Michigan Tech University biologists have been observing a remote Lake Superior island's fragile wolf population every winter since 1958, but they had to cut this season's planned seven-week survey short after just two weeks. The ski plane they study the wolves from... Read More

    SEC Approves Rule Requiring Some Companies to Publicly Report Emissions and Climate Risks

    WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Wednesday approved a rule that will require some public companies... Read More

    WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Wednesday approved a rule that will require some public companies to report their greenhouse gas emissions and climate risks, after last-minute revisions that weakened the rule in the face of strong pushback from companies. The rule... Read More

    News From The Well
    scroll top