preview

Global Climate Change : A New And Very Different Type Of Challenge

Good Essays
Open Document

For centuries the United States Military has addressed the many challenges of national security, from fighting for the foundation of America in the Revolutionary war, to the containment of terrorism and Islamic extremism in recent years, but now global climate change presents a new and very different type of challenge to national security. The stability of the world’s climate that has enabled human civilizations to grow and flourish over the last five thousand years is changing, causing environmental conditions deteriorate, and worldwide instability that threatens national security. The sobering truth is that carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere are greater now than at any time in the past 650,000 years . If the average global temperature continues to rise, necessary resources for sustaining global stability, such as food and clean water, will become scarce and or unavailable. While uncertainty may exist regarding the science and future extent of projected climate changes, the trends are clear. Climate change is happening, sea levels are rising, weather patterns are intensifying, essential provisions are decreasing, and instability is spreading. Climate change has already begun to put stress on the security and stability of society, but the worst effects on both the developed and developing world have yet to be felt. The United States has always strived to maintain stability where it exists, and instill it where it does not, now U.S. security forces must prepare for the

Get Access