33 Retired General & Admirals Tell Congress: “Climate Change is making the World More Dangerous.”

In a congressional letter to Senate party leaders, Harry Reid and Mitch McConnell, 33 retired military generals and admirals call on Congress to pass comprehensive climate and energy legislation (see full page ad of letter).

The letter states:

Climate change is threatening America’s security. The Pentagon and security leaders of both parties consider climate disruption to be a “threat multiplier” – it exacerbates existing problems by decreasing stability, increasing conflict, and incubating the socioeconomic conditions that foster terrorist recruitment. The State Department, the National Intelligence Council and the CIA all agree, and all are planning for future climate-based threats.

America’s billion-dollar-a-day dependence on oil makes us vulnerable to unstable and unfriendly regimes.

A substantial amount of that oil money ends up in the hands of terrorists. Consequently, our military is forced to operate in hostile territory, and our troops are attacked by terrorists funded by U. S. oil dollars, while rogue regimes profit off of our dependence. As long as the American public is beholden to global energy prices, we will be at the mercy of these rogue regimes. Taking control of our energy future means preventing future conflicts around the world and protecting Americans here at home.

For full listing of general and admirals, click here.

For more information on climate change and national security issues.

• Pentagon, CIA Eye New Threat: Climate Change, National Public Radio, 14 Dec. 2009
• CIA Opens Center on climatechange and national security.  Press release (25 September 2009) from the CIA.
• Climate Change Seen as Threat to U.S. Security, New York Times, 8 Aug. 2009

   WWF Blog Postings

• National Research Council Reports on Impacts of Climate Change on U.S. Naval Operations (29 April, 2010)
• Climate Patriots Video (24 Feb. 2010)
• New Pentagon report declares climate change and energy as key issues “shaping the future security environment” (1 Feb. 2010)
• U.S. military veterans travel to Copenhagen to discuss security threats of climate change (15 Dec. 2009)
• Security Implications of Climate Change (5 Aug. 2010)