Statement from ASP President Vice Admiral Lee Gunn USN (Ret) on Today’s Report from the National Research Council
Washington, DC – Today, ASP President Vice Admiral Lee Gunn USN (Ret) issued the statement below in response to the National Research Council’s issuance of a series of reports reaffirming that human activities continue to pose significant risks to a “broad range of human and natural systems,” and calling for action to curb greenhouse gas emissions. The reports by the Research Council, the operating arm of the National Academy of Sciences and National Academy of Engineering, are part of a congressionally requested suite of five studies known as America’s Climate Choices.
“Our nation’s most esteemed body of scientists just issued a report with profound implications for our future as a people. The Research Council of the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering has told us that we must meet the challenge of climate change head on: the costs of failing to do so will be staggering. The CIA, Department of Defense, the National Intelligence Council and a host of other government and commercial enterprises are moving to take up the challenges described by the Research Council because they understand the many daunting challenges associated with climate change, including limitation on access to fresh water and food; massive migrations of climate refugees across borders (including our own border); accelerated spread of disease; further destabilization of governments in troubled parts of our world. We have heard the call to action; it’s time to do what Americans have always done so well: answer the call, tackle the problem, lead the way.”
For further information about the American Security Project, please contact Selena Shilad at (202) 550-2547 or Matthew Hager at (218) 330-7447.
The American Security Project (ASP) is a non-profit, bipartisan public policy research and education initiative dedicated to fostering knowledge and understanding of a range of national security and foreign policy issues. It is organized around the belief that honest public discussion of national security requires an informed citizenry—one that understands the dangers and opportunities of the twenty-first century and the spectrum of available responses. ASP was formed to help Americans—from opinion leaders to the general public—understand how national security issues relate directly to them, and to explain challenges and threats in a way that spurs constructive action.
– ### –
