Climate change is an “urgent and growing threat to national security” that is “contributing to increased natural disasters, refugee flows, and conflicts over basic resources like food and water,” states the new national security strategy released last week by the White House.
The strategy identifies climate change as one of eight “top strategic risks” to the U.S., noting that “the present-day effects of climate change are being felt from the Arctic to the Midwest. Increased sea levels and storm surges threaten coastal regions, infrastructure, and property. In turn, the global economy suffers, compounding the growing costs of preparing and restoring infrastructure.”
