US military needs to ‘immediately take appropriate policy actions to prioritize climate change’ – Watts Up With That?
From Climate Warehouse
Via Military.com: 50 page planis an extension of the Army’s Overall Military Climate Strategy released earlier this year, setting out a set of ambitious goals in response to Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin’s 2021 call to ” immediately take appropriate policy actions to prioritize climate change consideration” as the Pentagon points to several instances of climate change-related events that have impacted services .
The Climate Strategy Implementation Plan states: “While the Army cannot address all or even most of its GHG emissions, the right initiatives, investments and policies can significantly reduce the Army’s GHG emissions while enhancing combat readiness.” … The military is looking for ways to reduce that consumption even further, while at the same time undoing the damage that climate change could bring. …
“As severe weather becomes common, the Army must adapt its installations, acquisitions and training programs so that the Army can operate in this changing environment,” said Army Secretary Christine Wormuth. and reduce our greenhouse gas emissions,” Army Secretary Christine Worthuth said in a press release Wednesday.
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Via: Administrators – Total climate inventory
https://www.military.com/daily-news/2022/10/05/army-releases-new-plan-mitigate-climate-change.html
Via Drew F. Lawrence
Excerpt: The Army on Wednesday is released its new plan describes how it intends to combat climate change built around trying to survive in increasingly extreme weather while limiting the service’s contribution to the problem.
While the plan lays out ways to mitigate climate change, it does so without directly acknowledging the military’s help in exacerbating the problem as one of the largest greenhouse gas emitter industry In the world.
As the Pentagon adopted what many experts describe as the potentially irreversible impact on the planet caused by emissions, the service’s plan was founded on a very Army word: reduce minimal.
50 page planis an extension of the Army’s Overall Military Climate Strategy released earlier this year, setting out a set of ambitious goals in response to Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin’s 2021 call to ” immediately take appropriate policy actions to prioritize climate change consideration” as the Pentagon points to several instances of climate change-related events that have impacted services .
The Climate Strategy Implementation Plan says: “Dangerous levels of greenhouse gases (GHGs) have accumulated in the Earth’s atmosphere. “While the Army cannot address all or even most of its GHG emissions, the right initiatives, investments, and policies can significantly reduce the Army’s GHG emissions while increasing combat readiness”.
It continued: “In climate change terms, this is called ‘mitigation’.
One area where climate change is causing challenges for the Army is due to increasingly extreme weather.
“The effects of extreme weather caused by climate change have had a profound effect on the DOD,” a Pentagon press release said Monday. The Corner said Monday, continuing to describe damage to military facilities caused by extreme weather and rising sea levels.
In 2018, Hurricane Michael destroyed at least half of the above structures Tyndall Air Base in Florida, costing $5 billion to repair, according to the release, an example of the potential impact of extreme weather on military facilities.
An increase in extreme weather will also put a strain on National GuardThe Pentagon revealed its disaster response capabilities as it watched the National Guard rescue people from severe weather in Kentucky and Florida recently.
The military also issued an ominous warning about the broader risks that climate change poses to the military.
Indeed, climate change has been described as a ‘multiplying threat’. “Extreme drought and flooding will displace individuals and communities, increasing the likelihood of human conflict and the Army’s need for humanitarian relief and disaster response at home and abroad. country”.
“In the near future, climate impacts will disrupt Army operations and increase the frequency of crises. implementationThe plan added.
But in trying to explain the impact and countermeasures the military will take, the services have generally been very cautious to address the size of the military’s emissions.
As of 2019, the military has emitted more than 1,000 million tons of greenhouse gases since 2001, according to a study from Brown University’s Watson Institute.
The Pentagon produced a total of “527 million tons of CO2 equivalent between 2010 and 2017, averaging about 66 million tons per year during this period, roughly equal to the greenhouse gas emissions of 14 million passenger cars. run for a year”. follow research.
The military was also America’s largest energy consumer at the time, although with the end of the Global War on Terror, energy consumption has steadily declined over the past decade.
The military is looking to reduce that consumption even further, while at the same time undoing the damage that climate change could bring.
“As severe weather becomes common, the Army must adapt its installations, acquisitions and training programs so that the Army can operate in this changing environment,” said Army Secretary Christine Wormuth. and reduce our greenhouse gas emissions,” Army Secretary Christine Worthuth said in a press release Wednesday. “This climate implementation plan will improve our resilience and readiness in the face of these changes.”
Some of the Army’s goals outlined in the Strategic Climate Plan include the introduction of an electric Light Reconnaissance vehicle next year – the first vehicle the military hopes will become a line of vehicles. combat rechargeable by 2050. Additionally, the Army wants to provide “100% carbon-free electricity” to all installations by 2030; achieving a 50% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions for all Army buildings by 2032; and achieve “net-zero” emissions for all installations by 2045.
The plan, announced Wednesday, is intended to provide guidance on how to support those goals. The guidelines include “using existing Army processes” to achieve targets, closely monitoring emissions, and allowing subordinate units to participate in “performance and evaluation programmes” technology assessment to provide resources for testing and validating new ideas”.
The Air Force released its own climate action plan hours before its sister branch, promising a net zero emissions goal by 2046, according to NBC News.
– Drew F. Lawrence can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @df_lawrence.
Related: Army sets ambitious goals to combat climate change, including electric tactical vehicles
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