Climate change poses security risks

'Climate change will affect the Department of Defense's ability to defend the Nation and poses immediate risks to U.S. national security.” This is a quote from the Department of Defense's 2014 Climate Change Adaptation Roadmap. The report sites climate change and humanitarian disasters in the United States and worldwide. The report points out factors such as the existence of extreme weather, rising global temperatures, changing precipitation patterns and sea level rise.

The Pentagon and the military is expecting to have to respond to intensified water shortages, food shortages, destruction by natural disasters, disputes over resources, pandemics and refugees to name just a few.

The military by itself has 7,000 bases around the world to protect. Many of them are on the coasts. The Navy has already raised the docks at Norfolk, Va., by seven feet. Billions of dollars will have to be spent just to protect our military bases.

The Navy has been a leader in the science of climate change. Much of the information environmentalists use comes from the Navy. The Navy also has the experience of traveling around the world and can see first hand what is happening. This is true especially in the Arctic. They have been taking scientific expeditions under the Arctic ice in submarines for years.

Harold Hensel

Cedar Rapids