Climate change to face off against a strong opponent in the US

Department of Defense sets sights on climate change

The U.S. Department of Defense has emerged as one of the world’s strongest supporters of renewable energy. Over the past two years, the agency has made the matter of energy one of national security, which has allowed it to take aggressive action on the adoption of clean forms of power like solar, wind, and hydrogen fuel. Now, the agency is setting its sights on a highly controversial issue that has been largely avoided by the federal government at large: Climate change.

Controversy unable to dissuade agency from tackling climate change

Though the Obama administration has not shied away from the issue of climate change, the matter continues to be surrounded by controversy because of its possible implications, such as the concept that climate change is being accelerated due to excessive use of fossil-fuels. The controversial nature of climate change has limited the federal government’s support of renewable energy and its separation from fossil-fuels, but has done little to dissuade the Department of Defense taking bold moves on the issue.

New roadmap outlines plan of action against potential threats

Late last week, the Department of Defense released the Climate Change Adaptation Roadmap, a blueprint for addressing the effects of climate change. The agency has adopted the same stance on climate change that it has on renewable energy, considering the issue a matter of national security. This allows the agency to sidestep some of the potential roadblocks it could face from the controversy that surrounds climate change.

Climate change considered a matter of national security

The Climate Change Adaptation Roadmap highlights several problems that the U.S. could face due to the impact of climate change, such as reduced training and business opportunities due to extreme weather, and the exponential increase of operational costs associated with strained access to resources like water. The roadmap also outlines  the support for climate science, advocating the controversial findings of climatologists that have largely been dismissed by the federal government. With the new roadmap, the Department of Defense aims to take much more aggressive action on climate change in the near future.