Remember what ignited the civil war in Syria?
The land was parched. Crops had failed year after year. Food prices rose while thousands were forced to migrate from the countryside into the cities to make a living. During the most intense drought ever recorded in Syria, the spark of anger hit bone-dry desperation and suddenly the country was engulfed in conflict.
That drought was a result of anthropogenic climate change.
Climate, Conflict, Catastrophe
It may be surprising to some, but the U.S. Military is keenly focused on Climate Change.
Why?
Arguably, the military’s primary focus is not winning wars. It’s preventing wars. And the military is acutely aware that climate change will lead to countless conflicts and destabilize governments around the world. From the military's perspective, climate change will be the greatest multiplier of war in the history of humanity.
As global warming makes places around the world more inhospitable — through floods, droughts, crop failures, famines, desertification, and intense storms — it causes instability as people flee for their lives, turn on each other for resources, and oust their governments for not protecting them. Furthermore, conflict breeds extremist groups, which can further destabilize countries or regions and instigate terrorist attacks at home and abroad.
In other words, if left unchecked, global warming will stretch the U.S. Military very thin, leaving America vulnerable.
So, if the goal is to mitigate conflicts around the world, no wonder the Generals are developing strategies for climate change. Currently, there’s a strong focus on adapting to climate change and building resilience to catastrophes. The military is retrofitting bases to withstand extreme weather and rising sea levels. They’re training their personnel and developing machinery for new situations caused by global warming. They’re planning contingencies if the power grid fails, like it did in Texas when the natural gas pipelines froze, and establishing energy independence by shifting many bases to renewable energy.
It’s all a little bit ironic though…
Because the U.S. Military is the single largest consumer of fossil fuel in the world. In fact, the United States’ Military emits more greenhouse gasses than most countries!
Try to imagine the scale of it: all the fuel for the jets, the helicopters, the armored vehicles, the transport trucks, and the ships with their patrols, training maneuvers, and combat, plus the manufacture and distribution of an immense amount of supplies, plus building and maintaining the hundreds of bases in the US and the 700+ bases in foreign countries! And it all runs on fossil fuel.
Wait... so, is the military also focused on reducing their emissions of greenhouse gasses and weening their massive organization off of fossil fuels?
Ehhh... Not enough really.
The Fossil Fuel Industry is an integral part of the military-industrial complex that Dwight D. Eisenhower (34th President and former general during WWII) warned the nation about in his farewell speech in 1961. The military is often reluctant to shift to renewable energy, and prefers to stick with fossil fuels, despite the fact that
1. they’re dangerous to transport and store (because they, you know, explode)
2. they leave the military prone to price shocks (like what’s happening with gas prices due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine)
3. they’re a major vulnerability on the battlefield (resupply lines are a logistical nightmare and are often easy targets, which cripples the effectiveness of our frontline troops if the fuel runs out)
and 4. they’re causing catastrophic climate change which will destabilize the world order.
In the United States Army Climate Strategy, they acknowledge that climate change is caused by the emissions of greenhouse gases, and they outline a focus on decarbonizing the military gradually. But there are no plans for the drastic changes that would help prevent climate disaster and allow our military to operate with energy independence.
So, just to be clear: we have a military that is planning ahead for catastrophic disasters... that it’s helping to create... without doing nearly enough to stop creating those catastrophic disasters.
Cool.
What can we do?
The military operates mainly outside of public control. It's subordinate to the public, but we don’t elect Generals and there isn’t a way to voice our opinions to them like we can with our elected representatives. The military is rightfully unaffiliated with a political party and also well-insulated from public pressure.
However, the military is part of the Executive Branch, and we do elect the President. As Commander in Chief, President Biden could theoretically issue an executive order requiring the military to green its operations. We can pressure the President by calling our Representatives and telling them to pressure Biden, or through public pressure campaigns and protest.
Why would it be amazing if the military went carbon neutral?
We’ve already mentioned that decarbonizing would allow our military to operate independently of foreign oil supplies. Plus that whole thing about not contributing to the catastrophic disaster that they have to plan for.
But also, think of all the useful innovations that have been developed by the military that are now part of our everyday lives. Jet engines, digital cameras, duct tape, microwaves, the internet, all of these were military projects that found a wider application in the general population.
The military could become an innovation engine for green technology and solutions to the climate crisis! If the military decided to stop using fossil fuel, you can bet they’d find the best way to generate power without it. And fast! Renewable energy, hydrogen power, carbon-free transport, battery technology, decentralized smart grids, the possibilities are limitless.
Just imagine the benefits to society and future generations if the U.S. Military, one of the most powerful institutions in human history, invested in green tech and solutions to the climate crisis. In fact, it’s a little shocking that it hasn’t happened yet.
The military is a crucial bottle neck in the journey toward a sustainable future. If the military shifted away from fossil fuels, it would be a watershed moment, signaling the end of the fossil fuel era. And, as Americans, we can have some influence over that decision. It's a profoundly sobering and exciting responsibility.
Of course, now with Russia invading Ukraine, it’s highly unlikely to happen anytime soon, since the military is rightfully focused on Russia. But we can hope this conflict will end soon and then we can turn our attention back to the huge battle we’re all facing: climate change.
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