Castellaw and Adams in The Commercial Appeal: If military sees climate risk, why do we deny?

Today, LTGen John Castellaw, USMC (Ret.) and BGen John Adams, USA (Ret.) of ASP were invited to write a column for The Commercial Appeal of Memphis, TN.

The generals’ column focuses on the impacts of climate change to the Tennessee region, as well as the effects of climate change on our military’s planning and resource use. The generals argue that:

“Even as our comrades on active duty in the U.S. military forces plan for the impact of the rise in sea levels in places like Bangladesh, the retreat of the ice in the Arctic and extreme storms in places like the Philippines, members of Congress and others continue to deny the obvious. The truth is that climate change is real and poses significant challenges for our nation’s security.”

Ultimately, both believe that the proper recognition and action against climate change is critical for our nation. If not:

“Our armed forces know — and we should, too — that if we fail to prepare for the risks of climate change, then our sons and daughters will have to respond to more disasters, fight more terrorists abroad, and spend more of our most precious resource — the blood of those who serve.”

For those who subscribe to The Commercial Appeal, the generals’ column can be found here.

Read more about our work on this issue here:

www.NationalSecurityandClimateChange.org