The US Administration released Thursday a suite of analyses from core national security and foreign policy components of the US government in coordination with the National Security Council staff, that will serve as a foundation for its critical work on climate and security moving forward. The White House said in a fact sheet on "Prioritizing Climate in Foreign Policy and National Security," that Thursday's announcements full "key requirements of two Executive Orders on Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad to put the climate crisis at the center of US foreign policy and national security and on "Rebuilding and Enhancing Programs to Resettle Refugees and Planning for the Impact of Climate Change on Migration." Today's announcements also reinforce President Joe Biden's commitment to evidence-based decisions guided by the best available science and data. While national security agencies led the development of these analyses, the nation's premier science agencies played a central role in ensuring the best available science and data were included in each product," claimed the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI). The ODNI oversaw the development of the first ever National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) on Climate Change and warned, "climate change will increasingly exacerbate a number of risks to US national security interests, from physical impacts that could cascade into security challenges, to how countries respond to the climate challenge. It noted that while the IC (International Community) judges that all of these risks will increase and that no country will be spared from challenges directly related to climate change. It indicated the three broad categories of risks are increased geopolitical tension as countries argue over who should be doing more and how quickly and compete in the ensuing energy transition: cross-border geopolitical flashpoints from the physical effects of climate change as countries take steps to secure their interests, and climate effects straining country level stability in select countries and regions of concern. The Department of Defense (DOD) Climate Risk Analysis (DCRA), which is the first Pentagon report focused on the strategic risks of climate change, describes how DOD will integrate climate considerations into strategic planning, budget, and other key documents, as well as engagements with allies and partners. DOD will also work in coordination with allies and partners, to prevent mitigate account for, and respond to defense and security risks associated with climate change. The Department of Homeland Security is also releasing the Strategic Framework for Addressing Climate Change to lead adaptation to changes in the climate risk landscape resulting from strategic competition, demographic trends, aging infrastructure, and emerging technology. The fourth report and analysis is entitled "The Report on the impact of Climate Change on Migration, and this assessment marks the first time the US government is officially recognizing and reporting on this linkage. The report identifies migration as an important form of adaptation to the impacts of climate charge and in some cases, an essential response to climate threats, to livelihoods and wellbeing therefore, it requires careful management to ensure it is safe, orderly, and humane. Meanwhile, a senior administration official told reporters during a call that this is coming at a time when we are just a mere two weeks away from the US attending and participating in the climate conference in Glasgow, known as COP26, the President be attending as well. "So it is a really pivotal moment to underscore how the US is thinking about climate security, its risks, and how we're responding to many of those and the heightened urgency we face in addressing climate change across all the different strategies and tools we have in our toolbox to demonstrate US leadership on this critical issue," the official affirmed.— KUNA
