I am a disabled veteran, from a proud military family. My family has fought in every war going all the way back to the Revolutionary War. My love for this country made me proud to serve. I know that so many share my respect for all the men and women that continue to serve. This love and respect is why I am so concerned. Our leaders should be concerned about the threat of climate change and our over-dependence on fossil fuels.
In November of last year, military experts informed President Donald Trump that climate change is a national threat. There is a bipartisan group of retired military and security personnel that look at this issue. They see the impacts of climate change on readiness, strategy, and operations. They developed plans and scenarios for doing catastrophic climate change events that the Pentagon could practice for military preparedness.
Despite the warnings of these top military experts, President Trump is rolling back policies to address catastrophic climate change, advance clean energy, and reduce fossil fuel pollution.
The military understands this issue clearly because they have already seen the impacts from the current wars. Men and women died or came back severely hurt from traumatic brain injuries to loss of limbs from refueling convoys. If military equipment had solar panels with some form of battery storing capacity for night maneuvers, this could reduce the amount of injuries on the battlefield from running long convoys through extremely dangerous territories.
Every time the military goes into battle its focus is reducing casualties and severe injuries to troops. The military has been investing in clean energy technology like portable wind turbines to power vehicles and setting up camps for troops on the move.
The military generals understand as well that the current war in Syria is not just about different factions of populations fighting each other. It is a climate fueled crisis. The problem in Syria started several years ago when drought hit the country. People who lived outside the main cities in Syria saw their water supplies dry up during this drought. They began to move inland to the bigger cities for survival.
When this migration started, it fueled problems between factions of different Syrian people due to overcrowding of cities. It was a lack of basic resources that has fueled the war, could now threaten our own troops, and has stirred debates over immigration.
The scenario in Syria is just one of many future scenarios that are in the horizon. There will be more extreme weather events that will put strains on vulnerable and unstable communities. We have seen an increase in these events in the US, where until now we have been fortunate to have greater resources to address the issues.
Some may think this is not our problem -- but it is. When water and food shortages become a growing problem, we will see an increased threat of war, refugees, and immigration. Our military understands that this will happen. They know that they will be sent to defend allies or fight for the same resources for the American people.
Doing all that we can to mitigate climate change is necessary to avoid sending our troops in harms way and has the added benefit of creating good clean energy jobs for veterans. It is time for our Congressional leaders and the President to understand what the military already knows -- that climate change is a national security risk.
It is time to embrace policies that protect the environment and engage in supporting new technologies that will help slow down our changing climate. The time is now. If the President truly respects the military, then listening to his Generals on this issue is a must.
The Environmental Protection Agency should not be weakened. We should be doing all that we can to encourage clean energy and reducing carbon emissions. It is critical that the US honor its commitment to the Paris Climate Treaty. If our President and Congress cannot lead on this issue, than we must. We need to call on our cities, states, utilities, and universities to lead on this issue for the good of the nation.
Bell is a veteran of the 1St Gulf War of the United States Air Force who now lives in the St. Louis area.
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