WASHINGTON – Today, Sen. Tom Carper, ranking member of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee and a top Democrat on the Environmental and Public Works Committee, released the following reaction to the White House report, The National Security Implications of Climate Change:
“The scientific evidence is clear: our climate is changing at a troublesome rate and the effects are devastating. Today’s White House report outlines the hard – and alarming – truth that climate change knows no boundaries. It seriously threatens lives, our economy and our national security as well. The report underscores the need for our military bases across the globe to be prepared to respond to our changing climate, and help lead the way to address this reality. Climate change’s ripple effect is being felt across the world and, according to the report, is disrupting countries and entire regions, leading to instability and unrest. As a result, our military must be prepared to respond abroad and here at home – whether at a foreign post ravaged by drought and famine or at a U.S. coastal port facing a rising tide. In addition to mitigating and responding to the existing impact of climate change, we need to do what we can to curb its rapid progress and alleviate its future toll. That’s why I was happy to see in the report that the military is helping lead the way by investing in renewable energies and clean technologies that curb carbon pollution that contributes to climate change. But we can and should do more. As the president said today to the 2015 graduates at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, ‘Even as we meet threats like terrorism, we cannot, and we must not, ignore a peril that can affect generations.’ I couldn’t agree more. We simply can’t ignore this reality and the risks it poses to our wellbeing.”