To the Point
National Security and Climate Change
Rising oceans wildfires and water shortages threaten US military operations worldwide. At the same time, the Pentagon is a major emitter of greenhouse gases. Can the defense establishment clean up its act and keep America safe at the same time?
By Warren Olney • • 41m ListenJet aircraft, carrier task forces and tanks consume vast amounts of fossil fuel--while emitting vast amounts of greenhouse gases. The Pentagon’s carbon footprint is bigger than those of many entire nations. Now, it’s caught in the middle. It’s a massive contributor to climate change, which is threatening its mission worldwide. Seaports and airstrips are being flooded or burned out, and restoring operations costs many millions of dollars.
Warren Olney
former KCRW broadcaster
Andrea Brody
Senior Producer, KCRW's Life Examined and To the Point podcast
John Conger
Director of the Center for Climate and Security and a former environmental official at the Department of Defense
Neta Crawford
Professor of Political Science and Chair of the department of political science at Boston University. She is co-director of the Eisenhower Study Group on the Costs of War and co author of their latest report: Pentagon Fuel Use, Climate Change, and the …