The Daily Colonial: Kerry and Experts Discuss National Security Implications of Climate Change
September 12, 2009
By Hannah Ringheim
Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) spoke at the Jack Morton Auditorium on Thursday about how the current global climate change will inevitably influence the stability of countries around the world. Kerry and climate change experts were at GW for a conference called “The Day Before: National Security Implications of Climate Change,” hosted by The Elliott School’s Institute for International Economic Policy and the American Security Project. The conference discussed how climate change will affect international security, mass migration, food shortages, and the paucity of resources.
Speaking toward the end of the conference, Kerry discussed the impacts of climate change in society today and the urgency of U.S. influence and intervention. He related the effects of climate change to the events of Sept. 11, 2001, and how too few people understood the reality of the situation until it suddenly happened. He said the U.S. will face the same regret if no action is taken.
“Climate change can worsen the terrorist threat,” Kerry said as the keynote speaker. “When we see a threat on the horizon, we cannot wait for it to arrive…we need to take dramatic action now rather than waiting and threatening global stability and America’s national security. We have no excuse to be caught in 2009 the way we were in 2001.”
Each speaker on the panel had a unique background of expertise relating to environmental studies or national security, yet when it came to climate change and its effects on the environment, each had a similar opinion.
“I just don’t see how a responsible security analyst looking into the next 40 years cannot be concerned with climate change,” said Bernard Finel, a senior fellow at the American Security Project where he directs research on counter-terrorism and defense policy. “We’re already spending billions and billions on saving energy on our planet.”
Another panel participant, Ladeene Freimuth, head of a consulting firm in trans-boundary water management, focused on projected impacts of climate relating with water issues, especially within the Middle East. The Middle East is the world’s most stressed water region and according to Freimuth, they cannot meet the present water demand.
“Jordan’s population is expected to double by 2035 and severe water shortages and agricultural losses could lead to migration in search of resources, refugees from inundated lands, and political and economic instability,” Freimuth said, referring to these citizens as “climate refugees.”
The panel participants all agreed that the U.S. needs to play a strong leadership role in addressing water issues domestically and internationally, and they stressed the importance of taking concrete actions.
Retired Vice Admiral Dennis McGinn of the panel said the U.S. needs to take action to alleviate the millions of environmentally-displaced people, not only for humanitarian reasons, but also for America’s advantage and the U.S. troops currently in the Middle East.
“Energy security and climate change goals should be clearly and fully integrated into our military goals,” McGinn said. “The burden falls here when we need to protect U.S. national security interests, such as our men and women in uniform.”
Dr. Adil Najam, appointee to the U.N. Committee for Development Policy, compared the planet to the weakest of nations.
“If the world was a country, what sort of country would it be?” he asked. He concluded that it would be an extremely poor country, a divided country, a degraded country, and an insecure country.
“The world …is a third world country.”
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