Government Approaching Climate Change as Security Issue

If there's a political meme that sells in this country, it's national security. I mean, Americans are willing to forego bathroom trips in the final hour of flights even though the explosives would-be terrorist Umar Farouk Abdulmatallab successfully brought aboard were more of a problem than the extended bathroom visit he made as he tried to deploy them.

Increasingly, the military and intelligence communities are seeing climate change as a threat to national security. The changing climate is likely to bring refugeeism, disease outbreaks, and even the loss of military bases due to storms and rising sea levels. The U.S. could potentially even lose square footage, including key ports.

The New York Times reports today that even the C.I.A. is cooperating with scientists, providing them with satellite images that are far more detailed -- not to mention numerous -- than civilian budgets could support.

Essentially, the program allows some satellite images to be quickly declassified and released to scientists, who use them to track ice formation and melting in great detail.

I never thought I'd live to say Way to go C.I.A.! But when you're right, you're right.

Of course, politicians who have made their name by denying climate change and drumming up national security fears are mumbling that the C.I.A. ought to be fighting terrorism, "not spying on sea lions" (that was John Barrasso, R-Wyo.). But the agency emphasizes that the program is "basically free."

And with a significant amount of climate change already locked in, climate-related security risks are far more likely to affect more Americans than stray terrorists like Abdulmatallab.

Photo: USGS via New York Times