Naval Officer: Climate Change Is Security Threat
FrontLines - September 2009
By Sam Dreiman
The changing world climate
is expected to threaten U.S. national security through conflict, migration, and failing states, a senior naval officer told a forum in Washington July 30.
“Climate change will lead to conflicts and mass human migration,” said Vice Adm. Lee Gunn. “Failing states will incubate
extremism.”
Gunn said climate change is one of the top four threats the United States faces, along with terrorism, energy dependence, and nuclear proliferation.
He spoke at a conference aimed at improved sharing of information about the environment,
third in a series run by the Forum on Earth Observations (www.forumoneo3.com/). The meeting brought together experts on information technology,
aerospace, climate, and science to discuss how climate change information can be shared and used effectively.
One effect of climate change Gunn mentioned was water scarcity, which affects one in three people across the world. As climate change continues to affect more and more people in developing countries, particularly
those where extremists can grow, the ways the United States deals with conflict, delivers
aid, and anticipates disasters will all evolve.
Gunn, speaking to FrontLines after his speech, cited Africa Partnerships, a naval program in which ships were sent to work with small national militaries in West Africa. With the help of USAID, the ships lifted and delivered material and provided medical care.
He also emphasized how USAID and the military need to be sensitive to what it means for local NGOs to associate
and operate with the U.S. government.
Gunn is a 35-year Navy veteran and current president of the American Society Project, a national security think tank.
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