CIA Ordered To Close Down It's Center On Climate Change And National Security

Obama Orders CIA To Close Down Multi-Billion Dollar Unit -- Examiner

More than three years later, and after spending billions of taxpayer dollars, an Inside-the-Beltway watchdog group reported on Tuesday that President Barack Obama ordered the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to quietly shutdown its example of government waste and duplication: the Center on Climate Change and National Security.

The scandal-plagued government agency responsible for providing national security intelligence to senior U.S. policymakers, the military, homeland security officials and law enforcement operated an insignificant special unit that focused on global warming, according to a watchdog group that's proudly been a thorn in the side of the Obama White House.

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More News On The CIA Being Ordered To Close Down It's Center On Climate Change And National Security

The CIA Has Closed Its Climate Change Research Office -- Business Insider
CIA closes dedicated climate change unit -- Phys.org
CIA climate-change unit closes its doors -- The Hill
CIA Closes It's Climate Change Office -- New York Times

My Comment: Missed this story last week .... so here it is now.

U.S. Military Warned To Prepare For Climate Change

US Military Warned To Prepare For Consequences Of Climate Change -- The Guardian

National Academy of Sciences recommends crash course for analysts on preparing for rise in sea level and food shortages.

The Pentagon was warned on Friday to stand guard against "climate surprises" which could throw off its efforts to secure America's future.

An expert report, prepared for the intelligence community by the National Academy of Sciences, warns that the security establishment is going to have start planning for natural disasters, sea-level rise, drought, epidemics and the other consequences of climate change.

The Pentagon already ranks climate change as a national security threat, putting US troops in danger around the world and adding fuel to existing conflicts. More than 30 US bases are threatened by sea level rise.

It has also identified potential new danger zones, such as sub-Saharan Africa.

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My Comment: Their focus on Africa is correct. Massive man-made deforestation has disrupted the environment in that region, and lower food production with the accompanying political consequences has been the result.

US Sec. of Defense Panetta: Climate Change Is A National Security Threat

Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta speaks at an annual reception for the Environmental Defense Fund at the Renwick Gallery in Washington D.C., May 2, 2012. Panetta thanked the organization for recognizing Defense Department efforts to make military bases and equipment more efficient and environmentally friendly. DOD photo by Erin A. Kirk-Cuomo

Climate Change Poses National Security Threat: Panetta -- International Business Times

Climate change could affect national security by spurring conflict over resources and producing more natural disasters, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta told a prominent environmental group.

In a speech to the Environmental Defense Fund, Panetta said that the military will need to adapt to the implications of a shifting climate, contending that "there are environmental threats which constitute threats to our national security."

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More News On Panetta's Comments That Climate Change Is A National Security Threat

Panetta: Environment Emerges as National Security Concern -- US Department of Defense
Pentagon cites climate, energy concerns -- UPI
Climate Change A Threat To National Security: Panetta -- RTT
Panetta warns climate change having 'dramatic impact' on national security -- The Hill
Panetta: Climate change a national security threat -- Washington Examiner
Panetta: Climate change a national security threat -- NewsOK
Panetta: Hybrid Warships Solution to 'National Security Threat' of Global Warming -- NewsMax

Is Climate Change Treatening World Peace?

Climate Change 'Threatens Peace', UN Official Warns -- BBC

Climate change poses a major threat to future peace and security, a senior UN official has warned.

Achim Steiner from the UN Environment Programme said climate change would also "exponentially" increase the scale of natural disasters.

His comments followed a UN declaration of famine in parts of Somalia.

Meanwhile, Russia rejected a Security Council statement backed by Western nations which asserted the link, but later agreed to a weaker text.

The Russian envoy Alexander Pankin said he was sceptical about the implications of putting climate change on the security council's agenda.

Security Council members finally agreed to a text which spoke of the "possible security implications" of climate change.

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My Comment: First it was global warming .... now it is called "climate change" .... tomorrow .... who knows. My main beef is that this focus on climate change ignores the real issue on what causes much of the world's insecurity and conflicts .... nationalism/political/social/religious/tribal intolerance and hostility. Will the UN focus on this .... LOL .... dream on.

Climate Change Peacekeepers?

UN Security Council To Consider Climate Change Peacekeeping -- The Guardian

Special meeting to discuss 'green helmets' force to intervene in conflicts caused by rising seas levels and shrinking resources

A special meeting of the United Nations security council is due to consider whether to expand its mission to keep the peace in an era of climate change.

Small island states, which could disappear beneath rising seas, are pushing the security council to intervene to combat the threat to their existence.

There has been talk, meanwhile, of a new environmental peacekeeping force – green helmets – which could step into conflicts caused by shrinking resources.

The UN secretary general, Ban Ki-Moon, is expected to address the meeting on Wednesday.

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My Comment: In a world filled with a lot of problems, this should not be on the UN's priority list.

Navy To Help Climate Scientists In Somali Pirate Infested Waters

Photo: Deploying an Argo robotic ocean profiler. Credit: CSIRO

Navies to Float Science Robots in Pirate Waters -- New York Times/AP

SYDNEY (AP) — Driven away by Somali pirates, international scientists are asking the Australian and U.S. navies for a favor: deploy 19 robotic instruments in the Indian Ocean to record critical data on climate and monsoon.

The Australian and British robots will be released by the two navies over the next six months, said Ann Threhser, a lead scientist at the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization, Australia's national science agency.

"Everyone is concerned about climate change and this is the first big program that can monitor climate change in the ocean," Thresher told The Associated Press on Friday.

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More News On Western Navies Helping Climate Scientists Off The Coast Of Somalia

Navies to float science robots in pirate waters -- Boston.com/AP
Navy to help climate scientists in pirate-infested waters -- Reuters
Scientists to use robotics for research -- News24
CSIRO researchers flee Somali pirates -- Herald Sun
SOS to naval ships as pirates bother buoys -- Sydney Morning Herald
Climate scientists demand robots for research in pirate waters -- Top News
Pirates Forcing Climate Scientists To Use Navy For Climate Research -- Red Orbit

Study: U.S. Navy Needs To Adapt To Climate Change

Photo: The aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln departs Everett, Washington. Courtesy of U.S. Navy.

Climate Change Poses A Major Challenge For The U.S. Navy In The Arctic -- New York Times

Climate change will pose major new hurdles for U.S. naval forces, forcing the military to grapple with an emerging Arctic frontier, increasing demand for humanitarian aid and creating rising seas that could threaten low-lying bases, the National Academy of Sciences said yesterday.

"Even the most moderate current trends in climate, if continued, will present new national security challenges for the the U.S. Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard," concludes a new academy report. "While the timing, degree and consequence of future climate change impacts remain uncertain, many changes are already underway in regions around the world ... and call for action by U.S. naval leadership in response."

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More News On The U.S. Navy Need To Adapt To Climate Change

U.S. Navy Ill-Prepared for New Arctic Frontier: Study -- Defense News/AFP
Study Says Navy Must Adapt to Climate Change -- New York Times
U.S. Navy Preparing for Climate Change -- Fred Bortz/Scienceblog
U.S. Navy Facing Major Climate-Related Challenges -- On Earth
U.S. National Research Council: Climate Change Impacts "Call for Action by U.S. Naval Leadership" -- Climate Science Watch
Global Warming Could Severely Impact U.S. Military Operations -- Newswise
Study: Navy Needs to Prepare for Climate Change -- ABC News

Is The CIA Unit Monitoring Climate Change About To End?

CIA’s Unit On Climate Change Faces Uncertain Future -- Washington Post

The future of the CIA’s unit on climate change and U.S. national security is “in jeopardy” because of pressure for intelligence budget cuts and resistance from conservative lawmakers, a new report says.

The CIA’s Center on Climate Change and National Security opened its doors a year ago over the objections of conservatives who attempted to block its funding, Northwestern University's National Security Reporting Project recounted Monday.

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More News On The CIA's Interest In Climate Change

Why the CIA is spying on a changing climate -- Miami Herald
Climate change reveals disease as national security threat -- Kansas City
Security establishment not well-equipped to deal with environmental issues: team -- Physorg.com

'No Climate Link' To African Wars

Climate Shifts 'Not To Blame' For African Civil Wars -- The BBC

A study suggests climate change is not responsible for civil wars in Africa, challenging widely held assumptions.

Climate change is not responsible for civil wars in Africa, a study suggests.

It challenges previous assumptions that environmental disasters, such as drought and prolonged heat waves, had played a part in triggering unrest.

Instead, it says, traditional factors - such as poverty and social tensions - were often the main factors behind the outbreak of conflicts.

The findings have been published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) in the United States.

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My Comment: I think it is to early to say that climate change is not causing some African wars, on the flip side, it is also too early to say that it is. But according to the PNAS .... they are confident that there is no link at all.

Is A 'Secret' U.S. Weapon Causing Climate Change?

Russian Scholar Warns Of 'Secret' U.S. Climate Change Weapon -- Radio Free Europe

As Muscovites suffer record high temperatures this summer, a Russian political scientist has claimed the United States may be using climate-change weapons to alter the temperatures and crop yields of Russia and other Central Asian countries.

In a recent article, Andrei Areshev, deputy director of the Strategic Culture Foundation, wrote, "At the moment, climate weapons may be reaching their target capacity and may be used to provoke droughts, erase crops, and induce various anomalous phenomena in certain countries."

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Hat Tip: Lucianne

My Comment: This story is two weeks old .... but what I find interesting is that there are still some in Russia who believe in the American 'boogeyman' when explaining their weather patterns and/or other misfortunes.

A secret climate change weapon ..... LOL .... please ....

Spies And Climate Change

'Climate Emails Hacked By Spies' -- The Independent

Interception bore hallmarks of foreign intelligence agency, says expert.

A highly sophisticated hacking operation that led to the leaking of hundreds of emails from the Climatic Research Unit in East Anglia was probably carried out by a foreign intelligence agency, according to the Government's former chief scientist. Sir David King, who was Tony Blair's chief scientific adviser for seven years until 2007, said that the hacking and selective leaking of the unit's emails, going back 13 years, bore all the hallmarks of a co-ordinated intelligence operation – especially given their release just before the Copenhagen climate conference in December.

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My Comment: What a strange way to defend the indefensible. The people who hacked and released these emails should be awarded and praised .... not condemned and threatened by the likes of Sir David King.

If an intelligence agency did this .... kudos to them for revealing the truth to all of us.

Pentagon Review To Address Climate Change For The First Time

Scientists had previously conceded that the speed with which glaciers in the Himalayas are melting had been greatly overhyped. Photo from The Telegraph

From The Hill:

The Pentagon is addressing climate change for the first time in its sweeping review of military strategy.

The Pentagon is set to release the Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR) on Monday, along with the 2011 budget request.

In the review, Pentagon officials conclude that climate change will act as an “accelerant of instability and conflict,” ultimately placing a burden on civilian institutions and militaries around the world.

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My Comment: With the controversy over University of East Anglia's handling of the data that pro-global warming proponents have been using to promote their cause now in doubt .... it is at this time that the Pentagon decides to spend limited resources and monies on pursuing this (yes) questionable issue.

C.I.A. Is Sharing Data With Climate Scientists

A satellite image of East Siberian Sea from 1999-2008. This image has been degraded
to hide the satellite’s true capabilities. USGS

From The New York Times:

The nation’s top scientists and spies are collaborating on an effort to use the federal government’s intelligence assets — including spy satellites and other classified sensors — to assess the hidden complexities of environmental change. They seek insights from natural phenomena like clouds and glaciers, deserts and tropical forests.

The collaboration restarts an effort the Bush administration shut down and has the strong backing of the director of the Central Intelligence Agency. In the last year, as part of the effort, the collaborators have scrutinized images of Arctic sea ice from reconnaissance satellites in an effort to distinguish things like summer melts from climate trends, and they have had images of the ice pack declassified to speed the scientific analysis.

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My Comment: The CIA has some great equipment .... I cannot blame the scientists who want to get their hands on this data.

Army Corps of Engineers Now Required to Consider Climate Change in All Future Projects

Flood Plans Here's to keeping above water Army Corps of Engineers

From Popular Science:

Worst-case planning never hurt anybody, and certainly not federal water projects that cost millions of dollars and could be easily undone by climate change and rising sea levels. A new policy now requires the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to plan for future climate change when designing plans for flood control or other projects.

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My Comment: Climate/weather are unpredictable forces of nature. It is good that they are now making assumptions for a worse case scenario .... but I thought the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers always did make the worse case scenario.

Fix Climate Change Or Else, Say Military Top Brass

From The New Scientist:

IF THE world fails to act soon on climate change, "preserving security and stability even at current levels will become increasingly difficult". That's the blunt message of a statement released in Washington DC (PDF) last week by 10 high-ranking military officials from Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America and the US.

Preserving stability will become increasingly difficult if the world fails to act on climate change

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My Comment: Another war to fight .... but mother nature is a tough opponent.

Climate Change Shaping Navy Plans

From DoD Buzz:

Continuing with the green theme at this week’s Naval Energy Forum in McLean, Va., Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Gary Roughead said there is no denying the link between fossil fuel use and global warming.

While one expects climate change to be discussed at a forum devoted to finding ways to improve the Navy’s energy efficiency, it was still a bit of surprise yesterday to hear the CNO link carbon emissions to rising sea levels so matter-of-factly.

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My Comment: Everyone is looking at global warming .... but what happens if we are actually experience global cooling. Canada has been approaching and/or breaking records for cold weather .... not warm weather .... this year. In the 1970s, the main fear was that we were approaching a period of extreme cold .... now we are being told to be concerned about global warming.

Lets face it .... climatologists have trouble predicting the weather beyond 1 week .... how can they predict 5, 10, or 30 years in the future?

Climate Change Is Impacting U.S. Military Strategy

Photo from Moscow Top News

Navy Strategy Changing Along With Arctic Conditions -- The Day

Predictions of big melt shift focus to shipping, oil, submarines' role

Newport, R.I. - Rapidly diminishing sea ice means more ships than ever before will be able to travel through the Arctic, so the Navy is going to use an “Arctic road map” to navigate the new national security challenge.

The Navy's Task Force Climate Change will give Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Gary Roughead the road map next week, describing the changing conditions in the Arctic and what it means for future Navy operations.

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More News On The Impact Of Climate Change And Military Strategy

Navy Prepares for Increased Arctic Role Due to Global Warming -- AllGov
Top military minds mull climate change, energy efficiency, new fuels and national security -- Tampa Bay.com
Addressing Global Warming: Security -- Global Security
Climate change raises strategic military risks -- Billings Gazette opinion

My Comment: I was surprised when researching this post that little if any public research and/or analysis has been done on this subject. I can only assume three things .... (1) the military does not take serious the impact of climate change. (2) They have not thought and/or research the topic. (3) They have, but their studies are classified.

Climate Change Seen As Threat To U.S. Security

From MSNBC/The New York Times:

Issue could become central in Senate debate over energy legislation.

WASHINGTON - The changing global climate will pose profound strategic challenges to the United States in coming decades, raising the prospect of military intervention to deal with the effects of violent storms, drought, mass migration and pandemics, military and intelligence analysts say.

Such climate-induced crises could topple governments, feed terrorist movements or destabilize entire regions, say the analysts, experts at the Pentagon and intelligence agencies who for the first time are taking a serious look at the national security implications of climate change.

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My Comment: A few years ago the language that was used in describing worldwide weather changes and its impact on national security issues was "global warming" .... not climate change. Today .... after 10 years of falling temperatures worldwide .... global warming does not cut it anymore .... hence climate change.

Unfortunately (for all of us tax payers), the present political elite believe that there is some truth to global warming .... ooopppss ..... climate change .... and they will install the necessary tax increases and regulations to justify their view point. National security has (and will always be) at the bottom of their priority list when it comes to their environmental agenda.

U.S. Senate Panel: Military Will Be 'Dragged Into Conflict If Climate Change Goes Unchecked'

Kerry Panel Looks At Climate Change And National Security -- Boston.com

WASHINGTON -- Massive crop devastation, melting glaciers, water shortages, millions of displaced people -- all of these will drag the US military into conflict if global climate change goes unchecked, a Senate panel was warned today.

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing, convened by Senator John F. Kerry of Massachusetts, focused on what so far has received only modest attention in the climate change debate: the effect it is bound to have on national defense.

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My Comment: A classic example of fear mongering at its worse.

From my point of view (and science is my background) I am very skeptical with the idea that mankind can change and influence the weather. I am more of the belief that the sun has a bigger impact on climate than what we on planet earth can possibly do.

Our focus should be more on controlling the pollution that we create, and on how we can seriously limit the damage that we do on micro-environments.

As to the point that climate can influence wars .... throughout the history of mankind climate has always had an impact on fermenting wars and influencing its execution. Droughts have resulted in mass migrations, famine, and conflicts. Did mankind influence climate then .... no .... but the wars still broke out.

Update: $79 Billion spent on climate change already.