Climate Change Attorney Blog

The World Meteorological Organization (WMO), the United Nations Authority on global climate released its 2011 provisional statement this week. One of the most striking statements contained in the release is that presently " 2011’s nominal value ranks as the equal 10th highest on record, and the 13 warmest years have all occurred in the 15 years between 1997 and 2011."

The statement notes the many significant weather events during 2011 and that:

"Arctic sea ice extent was again well below normal in 2011. After tracking at record or near-record low levels for the time of year through the first half of 2011, the seasonal minimum, reached on 9 September, was 4.33 million square kilometres (35% below the 1979-2000 average). This was the second-lowest seasonal minimum on record, 0.16 million square kilometres above the record low set in 2007. Unlike the 2007 season, both the Northwest and Northeast Passages were ice-free for periods during the 2011 summer. Sea ice volume was even further below average and was estimated at a new record low of 4200 cubic kilometres, surpassing the record of 4580 cubic kilometres set in 2010."

-Steven Silverberg

NYSERDA has issued a scientific report on the impacts of Climate Change in New York and strategies to address the inevitable changes taking place. In the summary report entitled Responding to Climate Change in New York State, as well as the technical report, it is made clear:

" Climate change is already beginning to affect the people and resources of New York State, and these impacts are projected to grow. At the same time, the state has the potential capacity to address many climate-related risks, thereby reducing negative impacts and taking advantage of possible opportunities."

Significantly, the report notes that extreme weather events are already increasing and that once certain "tipping points" are crossed there will be dramatic changes. Breaking New York into regions, the report sets forth the predicted changes in temperature and precipitation over the coming decades and notes "[t]hese are neither best case nor worst case; actual changes could be lower if emissions are cut aggressively, or higher if the world continues on a business as usual course."

The report goes on to discus measures to adapt to the affects of climate change, ranging from updating regulations to modifying construction standards for everything from barns to bridges, tunnels and power plants.

-Steven Silverberg

A study commissioned by the California Department of Boating and Waterways has concluded that there is the potential for significant economic impacts from rising sea levels on California's coastal communities. The report was prepared by economists from San Francisco State University. The study notes that it took into account a variety of potential economic impacts:

"Since planning for sea-­‐level rise requires a comprehensive assessment of potential damages, we include sea-­‐level rise impacts to sandy beach recreation value, habitat value, and beach tourism-­‐related spending. These damages are more indirect than losses to upland structures and land, yet are also vital to understanding the true economic impact of sea-­‐level rise."

In a press release announcing the study it was noted:

"The findings suggest that the cost and type of damage will vary depending on a community's economy, geography and local decisions about land use. For example, if sea level rises by 4.6 feet, Malibu beaches could lose almost $500 million in accumulated tourism revenue between now and 2100. Revenue losses would be much smaller at San Francisco's windswept Ocean Beach ($82 million), which attracts fewer visitors per year."

One of the co-authors noted that there are varying degrees of response which may be appropriate and while in the past seawalls were the solution of choice "our findings suggest that other policies such as beach nourishment or where possible, allowing the coastline to retreat, could be more cost effective."

-Steven Silverberg

In a report published last week in the Journal Nature by contributing authors from NOAA, it was suggested that reducing non-carbon dioxide greenhouse gases would result in some more rapid benefits in combating climate change. The report states:

"methane, nitrous oxide and ozone-depleting substances (largely from sources other than fossil fuels), also contribute significantly to warming. Some non-CO2 greenhouse gases have much shorter lifetimes than CO2, so reducing their emissions offers an additional opportunity to lessen future climate change."

The report notes that because these gases have a "shorter atmospheric lifetime" than carbon dioxide the beneficial effects could be realized more rapidly than can be achieved with reductions in carbon dioxide, although resulting in only a partial solution to climate change.

-Steven M. Silverberg

A scientific report commissioned by the Vatican addresses the need to take action with respect to the impacts on glacial ice melt, as well as the other effects, from greenhouse gas emissions caused by human activity.The report prepared by a group of scientists declares in part:

"We call on all people and nations to recognise the serious and potentially irreversible impacts of global warming caused by the anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases and other pollutants, and by changes in forests, wetlands, grasslands, and other land uses. We appeal to all nations to develop and implement, without delay, effective and fair policies to reduce the causes and impacts of climate change on communities and ecosystems, including mountain glaciers and their watersheds, aware that we all live in the same home."

In a call to action the report states:

"All nations must focus on a rapid transition to renewable energy sources and other strategies to reduce CO2 emissions. Nations should also avoid removal of carbon sinks by stopping deforestation, and should strengthen carbon sinks by reforestation of degraded lands. They also need to develop and deploy technologies that draw down excess carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. These actions must be accomplished within a few decades."

The report also calls for preparing to adapt to those changes which are inevitable and notes that analysis of the changes that are coming is needed in order to understand what must be done to implement methods of adaptation.

-Steven Silverberg

The American Security Project has issued a report on the projected costs of Climate Change for each of the fifty States entitled "Pay Now, Pay Later." The premise of the reports is basically that, one way or the other, we are going to pay for the effects of Climate Change and taking the initiative now can prevent at least some of the significant economic disruption and human suffering projected to develop during this century.

The report on New York, for example, notes in part:

"By the 2020s, a consensus of climate models project annual precipitation to increase by (sic) to 5%, and sea levels to rise by 2-5 inches—or roughly twice that under a rapid ice-melt scenario. ...Current 10-year floods are predicted to occur as often as every 6.5 years by the 2020s....Assuming a current 10-year flood triggered claims on just 1% of insured coastal properties (about $22 billion) then the increase in frequency during the period from 2020 to 2040 (three rather than two floods) could be expected to cost an extra $550 million per year ($22 billion over 20 years)."

The report goes on to note that in the event a category 3 hurricane hits New York City, it is predicted to flood a third of lower Manhattan, which is the home of the financial markets, where 160,000 people work. In addition, it is predicted that by 2020 heat related deaths in New York City alone could reach 850.

Similar effects are predicted in other states as a result of global warming, sea level rise and increased storms. Yet, the reports also point out that by preparing now and investing in programs and industries that can combat the effects of climate change there are opportunities.

Again referring to New York the report states:

"As dire as New York’s future seems from climate change, the state has a tremendous capacity for initiatives that will help offset these negative effects and produce positive results....A major investment in clean energy could create an estimated 109,000 jobs in New York State."

Likewise, in the case of California, the report notes:

"Although climate change could devastate vital sectors of California’s economy, the state is well-poised to benefit from developing renewable sources of energy. This is especially pertinent considering that California is the 12th largest greenhouse gas emitter in the world."

-Steven Silverberg

NOAA reports that on February 19th a panel of scientist released the findings of studies predicting adverse impacts upon human health resulting from climate change. In a summary released by NOAA it was noted that the studies: "shed light on how complex interactions and climate change alterations in sea, land and sky make ocean and freshwater environments more susceptible to toxic algal blooms and proliferation of harmful microbes and bacteria"

The studies are predicting a series of adverse impacts including:

"“Changes in the harmful algal bloom season appear to be imminent and we expect a significant increase in Puget Sound and similar at-risk environments within 30 years, possibly by the next decade,

Researchers at the University of Georgia, a NOAA Oceans and Human Health Initiative Consortium for Graduate Training site, looked at how global desertification — and the resulting increase in atmospheric dust based on some climate change scenarios — could fuel the presence of harmful bacteria in the ocean and seafood

A changing climate with more rainstorms on the horizon could increase the risk of overflows of dated sewage systems, causing the release of disease-causing bacteria, viruses and protozoa into drinking water and onto beaches. In the past 10 years there have been more severe storms that trigger overflows."

While the reports indicate some of thee effects could be the result of natural climate variations, nonetheless they pose serious potential impacts.

-Steven Silverberg

A recently released report claims that the effects of Climate Change will significantly contribute to water shortages in the U.S. Southwest in coming years. The Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) has issued a study called "The Last Drop: Climate Change and the Southwest Water Crisis." The study notes that even without the effects of climate change the Southwest faces a significant crisis in water supply. With climate change the crisis will worsen.

"A great deal is already known about water and climate change in the Southwest. For our purposes, the following are some of the most important findings:

-Climate change will worsen the region‟s water crisis even if, as some models predict, there is no change in total annual precipitation.
-Agriculture in the Southwest is almost completely dependent on irrigation; the greatest climate risk to agriculture is not the direct effect of temperature or precipitation on crops, but the potential lack of water for irrigation.
-Published estimates of the costs of climate impacts on water resources are in the tens of billions of dollars annually for the United States as a whole, or about $1 billion each for California and for the Colorado River basin."

Some of the numbers reported in the study are:

"Taking into consideration only baseline growth of population and income, the Southwest‟s shortfall of water (today‟s overdraft plus additional water needed beyond today‟s annual rates, or green plus yellow in Figure 1) reaches 1,815 million acre feet over the 100-year period. Using the B1 climate assumptions – the least climate change that is still thought to be possible – the Southwest‟s shortfall grows to 2,096 million acre feet (green, yellow, and orange). Under the A2 climate assumptions – the temperature increase expected if the current trend in global greenhouse gas emissions continues – the shortfall reaches 2,253 million acre feet (adding the red segment). This shortfall must be met either from increases to supply (perhaps the most difficult and most expensive options as discussed below), additional groundwater withdrawals, or reductions to use – planned or unplanned."

-Steven Silverberg

At the end of 2010 the New York State Sea Level Rise Task Force submitted its final report to the New York State Legislature. The report details a series of findings and recommendations, although it notes that the City of New York which was a member of the task force, did not support several of the recommendations.

The summary of the Task Force findings is:
1. Sea level rise and coastal flooding from storm surge are already affecting and will increasingly affect New York’s entire ocean and estuarine coastline from Montauk Point to the Battery and up the Hudson River to the federal dam at Troy.
2. The likelihood that powerful storms will hit New York State’s coastline is very high, as is the associated threat to human life and coastal infrastructure. This vulnerability will increase in area and magnitude over time.
3. Natural shoreline features, such as wetlands, aquatic vegetation, dunes and barrier beaches, currently provide large‐scale services, such as flood protection, storm buffering, fisheries habitat, recreational facilities and water filtration, at almost no cost. These services would be prohibitively expensive to replicate with human‐built systems. New York is losing tidal marshes at a rapid pace and with them the natural infrastructure that protects the shore from floods, wave attack and erosion.
4. Sea level rise will cause all shoreline ecosystems to become more frequently inundated. Low‐lying locations will become permanently submerged. Habitats and the species associated with them may migrate landward; this migration, however, will be impeded by the density of development on much of the state’s shoreline and the widespread hardening of that shoreline.
5. Current investment and land‐use planning practices by both New York State and local governments are encouraging development in areas at high risk of coastal flooding and erosion.
6. Over the long term, cumulative environmental and economic costs associated with structural protection measures, such as seawalls, dikes, and beach nourishment, may be more expensive and less effective than non‐structural measures, such as elevation of at‐risk structures and planned relocation away from the coastal shoreline, especially in less urbanized areas. Solutions for urban areas, however, may require a mixed approach of structural and non‐structural solutions.
7. As water levels rise, sea walls, dikes and similar structures along the state’s coastline may limit public access to beaches as the publicly accessible intertidal zone is eliminated.
8. Existing maps of New York State’s coast that identify communities, habitats and infrastructure at greatest risk of flooding and erosion are inaccurate, out of date, not detailed enough for planning and regulatory purposes and fail to incorporate historic and projected sea level rise.
9. There are low‐cost, high‐benefit actions that can be taken now to reduce vulnerability along New York State’s coastline.

The recommendations were summarized as:
1. Adopt official projections of sea level rise and ensure continued and coordinated adaptation efforts.
2. Require state agencies responsible for the management and regulation of resources, infrastructure, and populations at risk from sea level rise to factor the current and anticipated impacts into all relevant aspects of decision making.*
3. Classify areas where significant risk of coastal flooding due to storms has been identified and implement risk reduction measures in those areas.*
4. Identify and classify areas of future impacts from coastal flooding from projected sea level rise and storms to reduce risk in those areas.*
5. Reduce vulnerability in coastal areas at risk from sea level rise and storms. Support increased reliance on non‐structural measures and natural protective features to reduce impacts from coastal hazards, where applicable.*
6. Develop maps and other tools required to assist local decision makers in preparing for and responding to sea level rise.
7. Amend New York State laws and change and adopt regulations and agency guidance documents to address sea level rise and prevent further loss of natural systems that reduce risk of coastal flooding.*
8. Provide financial support, guidance and tools for community‐based vulnerability assessments and ensure a high level of community representation and participation in official vulnerability assessments and post‐storm recovery, redevelopment and adaptation‐planning processes.
9. Undertake a comprehensive assessment of the public health risks associated with sea level rise, coastal hazards and climate change including compromised indoor air quality, drinking water impacts, post‐traumatic stress and other mental health problems, increases in disease vectors, impaired access to health care and loss of reliable access to food and medical supplies.
10. Raise public awareness of the adverse impacts of sea level rise and climate change and of the potential adaptive strategies.
11. Develop mechanisms to fund adaptation to sea level rise and climate change.
12. Fund research, monitoring and demonstration projects to improve understanding of key vulnerabilities of critical coastal ecosystems, infrastructure and communities from sea level rise.
13. Ensure continued and coordinated adaptation to sea level rise.
14. Seek federal funding, technical assistance and changes to federal programs to make them consistent with, or accommodating to, state policies, programs and adaptation measures related to sea level rise.
* Recommendation does not have the unanimous support of the Task Force.

-Steven Silverberg

The U.N. Advisory Group on Climate Change Financing has issued a report calling on funding to help developing countries deal with climate change. In a press release issued on November 5, 2010 the report is described as stating that funding must "come from a wide range of sources – public and private, bilateral and multilateral....grants and highly concessional loans were essential for adapting to climate change in the world’s most vulnerable countries."

The report went on to stress the need for action "mobilizing financing will require strong commitments to the goals set by nations to mitigate climate change and the introduction of new public instruments on carbon financing."

-Steven Silverberg

This week the Department of Interior announced the establishment of the second and third of eight planned regional Climate Science Centers(CSC). The Southeast CSC will be hosted at North Carolina State University and the the Northwest CSC will be a consortium of three universities--Oregon State University, University of Washington and the University of Idaho.

As noted in a press release announcing the two new centers it was stated in part that the centers: "will provide the science needed to understand which resources are most vulnerable to climate change and will work closely with natural and cultural resource managers faced with planning for those changes."

The CSC program is part of what the Department of the Interior has termed a "Strategic Response to Climate Change."

-Steven Silverberg

In the most recent issue of Science, a report concludes that the development of future sources of carbon emissions pose a greater threat of climate change than existing sources. As reported by the Carnegie Institution of Science, if no additional sources of carbon emissions are built, existing sources would increase global warming, but probably not beyond a critical tipping point. However, the authors of the report note: “Because most of the threat from climate change will come from energy infrastructure we have yet to build, it is critically important that we build the right stuff now – that is, low carbon emission energy technologies,...We cannot be complacent just because we haven’t yet reached a point of no return.”

-Steven Silverberg

In a study prepared for the National Resources Defense Council (NRDC), Tetra Tech noted the potential risk to water resources resulting from global warming. The study finds that half the counties in the lower 48 states face potential water shortages by 2050.

The study concludes in part that "as this analysis highlights, the impacts of climate change will greatly increase the number of areas where renewable water supply will be lower than withdrawal, therefore increasing the number of areas vulnerable to future water shortages."

-Steven Silverberg

I report prepared by the Zoological Society of London for release next week focuses on the potential impacts of greenhouse gas emissions and climate change on migratory species.

A release summarizing the report notes:

"Research by the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) for the United Nations Environment Programme’s Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (UNEP/CMS) shows that even the subtle changes in environmental conditions that could be caused by climate change could have catastrophic consequences for animals that migrate."

-Steven Silverberg

On June 3 a report was released by the Joint Working Group of the Gulf of the Farallones and Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuaries Advisory Councils concerning the impacts of climate change along the California coast in and around the San Francisco Bay area. The report summary states it "does not assess current conditions, or predict future changes. It presents scientific observations and expectations to identify potential issues related to changing climate – with an emphasis on the most likely ecological impacts and the impacts that would be most severe if they occur."

Among the issues noted in the report are:
"an observed increase in sea level as recorded at the mouth of San Francisco Bay; extreme weather events (winds, waves, storms) and resultant coastal erosion; an increase in ocean acidity and more extreme weather patterns. Bay area roadways and sewage systems have been flooded by unusually heavy rainfall. It is noted that some animals, such as Humboldt squid, gray whales, and bottlenose dolphins have experienced a northward shift, which can affect other species in their changing range. In the case of the gray whales, they now must travel much farther north and longer to find food."

As a result of these initial findings the sanctuary staff has begun drafting what it calls an Ocean Climate Initiative Action Plan.

-Steven Silverberg

The National Research Council issued three reports on May 19 calling for action to reduce Greenhouse Gases (GHGs) and to begin adapting to climate change. The three reports, Advancing the Science of Climate Change, Limiting the Magnitude of Future Climate Change and Adapting to the Impacts of Climate Change are summarized in a press release which notes the significant issues facing the country.

Included among the recommendations in the three reports are:

"The report recommends that a single federal entity or program be given the authority and resources to coordinate a national, multidisciplinary research effort aimed at improving both understanding and responses to climate change. The U.S. Global Change Research Program, established in 1990, could fulfill this role, but it would need to form partnerships with action-oriented programs and address weaknesses that in the past have led to research gaps, particularly in the critical area of research that supports decisions about responding to climate change."

"An inclusive national policy framework is needed to ensure that all levels of government, the private sector, and millions of households and individuals are contributing to shared national goals. Toward that end, the U.S. should establish a greenhouse gas emissions "budget" that sets a limit on total domestic emissions over a set period of time and provides a clear, directly measurable goal. However, the report warns, the longer the nation waits to begin reducing emissions, the harder and more expensive it will likely be to reach any given emissions target."

Continue reading "National Research Council Reports on Greenhhouse Gases" »

In a letter from 255 members of the National Academy of Scientists, published in Science Magazine, they claim that climate change is a fact, as is the contribution of human activity to global warming. In a sharply worded letter decrying "McCarthy-like threats" the letter states in part:

"But there is nothing remotely identified in the recent events that changes the fundamental conclusions about climate change:

(i) The planet is warming due to increased concentrations of heat-trapping gases in our atmosphere. A snowy winter in Washington does not alter this fact.

(ii) Most of the increase in the concentration of these gases over the last century is due to human activities, especially the burning of fossil fuels and deforestation.

(iii) Natural causes always play a role in changing Earth's climate, but are now being overwhelmed by human-induced changes.

(iv) Warming the planet will cause many other climatic patterns to change at speeds unprecedented in modern times, including increasing rates of sea-level rise and alterations in the hydrologic cycle. Rising concentrations of carbon dioxide are making the oceans more acidic.

(v) The combination of these complex climate changes threatens coastal communities and cities, our food and water supplies, marine and freshwater ecosystems, forests, high mountain environments, and far more."

-Steven Silverberg

The United States Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) issued a report today listing 24 indicators of the effects of climate change on the U.S. and its citizens. The report contains a number of significant findings including:

"• Greenhouse gas emissions from human activities are increasing. Between 1990 and 2008, there has been about a 14 percent increase in emissions in the United States.
• Average temperatures are rising. Seven of the top 10 warmest years on record for the continental United States have occurred since 1990.
• Tropical cyclone intensity has increased in recent decades. Six of the 10 most active hurricane seasons have occurred since the mid-1990s.
• Sea levels are rising. From 1993 to 2008, sea level rose twice as fast as the long-term trend.
• Glaciers are melting. Loss of glacier volume appears to have accelerated over the last decade.
• The frequency of heat waves has risen steadily since the 1960s. The percentage of the U.S. population impacted by heat waves has also increased."

-Steven Silverberg

The Geological Society of America issued a revised position statement on climate change noting the need to address the significant contribution of GHGs to global warming. The statement states that its purpose is to: "(1) summarizes the strengthened basis for the conclusion that humans are a major factor responsible for recent global warming; (2) describes the large effects on humans and ecosystems if greenhouse‐gas concentrations and global climate reach projected levels; and (3) provides information for policy decisions guiding mitigation and adaptation strategies designed to address the future impacts of anthropogenic warming."

The projections contained in the statement present a sobering picture of the future if action is not taken. "If greenhouse‐gas emissions follow the current trajectory, by 2100 atmospheric CO2 concentrations will reach two to four times pre‐industrial levels, for a total warming of less than 2 C to more than 5 C compared to 1850. This range of changes in greenhouse gas concentrations and temperature would substantially alter the functioning of the planet in many ways. The projected changes involve risk to humans and other species: (1) continued shrinking of Arctic sea ice with effects on native cultures and ice‐dependent biota; (2) less snow accumulation and earlier melt in mountains, with reductions in spring and summer runoff for agricultural and municipal water; (3) disappearance of mountain glaciers and their late summer
runoff; (4) increased evaporation from farmland soils and stress on crops; (5) greater soil erosion due to increases in heavy convective summer rainfall; (6) longer fire seasons and increases in fire frequency; (7) severe insect outbreaks in vulnerable forests; (8) acidification of the global ocean; and (9) fundamental changes in the composition, functioning, and biodiversity of many terrestrial and marine ecosystems. In addition, melting of Greenland and West Antarctic ice (still highly uncertain as to amount), along with thermal expansion of seawater and melting of mountain glaciers and small ice caps, will cause substantial future sea‐level rise along densely populated coastal regions, inundating farmland and dislocating large
populations."

-Steven Silverberg

In a report released this week, it was noted that climate change is resulting in the disappearance of glaciers in Glacier National Park. Included in the information released is a profile from the U.S. Geological Survey, which concluded that 12 of the 37 named glaciers in the Park are now so small they are no longer considered glaciers.

The release concludes:

"the last decade in Glacier National Park saw exactly double the temperature increase for the planet as a whole. The effects of this warming threaten Glacier National Park’s resources, from glaciers and snow-capped mountains to wildlife and forests, as well as the Montana jobs and tourism revenue the park generates."

-Steven Silverberg

The Department of Energy announced a joint program called "Decadal and Regional Climate Prediction Using Earth System Models (EaSM)" to model and make more localized predictions of climate change.

In a statement released by the DOE it was noted:

"EaSM is distinguished by its promise for generating: 1) predictions of climate change and associated impacts at more localized scales and over shorter time periods than previously possible; and 2) innovative interdisciplinary approaches to address the interdisciplinary sources and impacts of climate change. These interdisciplinary approaches will draw on biologists, chemists, computer scientists, geoscientists, materials scientists, mathematicians, physicists, computer specialists, and social scientists....

By producing reliable, accurate information about climate change and resulting impacts at improved geographic and temporal resolutions, models developed under the EaSM solicitation will provide decision-makers with sound scientific bases for developing adaptation and management responses to climate change at regional levels."

-Steven Silverberg

The World Wildlife Fund reported the results of a study this week which "makes specific recommendations for incorporating protected areas into overall strategies to reduce emissions of greenhouse gasses from deforestation and degradation (nicknamed REDD)." The study noted the significant CO2 storage within areas that have been protected from deforestation.

-Steven Silverberg

A study released by the Journal Science this week reports that increases in the melting of permafrost in the East Siberian Arctic Shelf have the potential to significantly increase the venting of methane into the atmosphere. A summary of the report notes the potential of the release of methane from this area to contribute to global warming.

In a report issued this month by NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies, which looked at 13 economic sectors, the report concluded that motor vehicles contributed the most to atmospheric warming. In a departure from previous studies which focus on the impacts of individual chemicals, this study looked at where modifications to individual economic sectors may have the greatest impact on slowing or reducing climate change.

A press release issued by NASA notes that the study describes a complex interaction among chemical pollutants which variously have both warming and cooling effects. Thus, in addition to motor vehicles, the burning of household biofuels and raising livestock contribute the most to warming. Yet, the industrial sector releases aerosols into the atmosphere which have a cooling effect. But in discussing the impacts of motor vehicle emissions, the leader of the study Nadine Unger concludes:

"Targeting on-road transportation is a win-win-win, It's good for the climate in the short term and long term, and it's good for our health."

-Steven Silverberg

The EPA announced $17 million in grants to study the impacts of climate change. The grants announced today cover the relationship of climate change to four specific areas: (1) allergies; (2) air quality; (3) water resources and (4) carbon sequestration.

This week the U.S. government established a new Website to address climate issues. The site called NOAA Climate Services contains substantial information on climate change, GHGs, carbon dioxxide, sea level changes and related matters.

In a report released on February 1, 2010 the Department of Defense outlined strategic issues related to Climate Change. The Quadrennial Defense Review of the Department of Defense devotes a section to the potential security impacts of Climate Change.

The report notes in part:

"Climate change will affect DoD in two broad ways. First, climate change will shape the operating environment, roles, and missions that we undertake. The U.S. Global Change Research Program, composed of 13 federal agencies, reported in 2009 that climate-related changes are already being observed in every region of the world, including the United States and its coastal waters....While climate change alone does not cause conflict, it may act as an accelerant of instability or conflict, placing a burden to respond on civilian institutions and militaries around the world. In addition, extreme weather events may lead to increased demands for defense support to civil authorities for humanitarian assistance or disaster response both within the United States and overseas."