(Excerpt of his complete remarks)

October 13, 2014

The Security Implications of Climate Change

Today, this region has become one of the most stable in the world.  In many nations of the hemisphere, economies are growing and democracy is flourishing.

But we must be ready to confront emerging and future challenges to ensure this progress marches on.

One of those emerging challenges, environmental security, is a major theme of this week’s conference, and it provides us with an opportunity to discuss the security implications of climate change.

Climate change is a “threat multiplier”…because it has the potential to exacerbate many of the challenges we already confront today – from infectious disease to armed insurgencies – and to produce new challenges in the future.

The loss of glaciers will strain water supplies in several areas of our hemisphere.  Destruction and devastation from hurricanes can sow the seeds for instability.  Droughts and crop failures can leave millions of people without any lifeline, and trigger waves of mass migration.

We have already seen these events unfold in other regions of the world, and there are worrying signs that climate change will create serious risks to stability in our own hemisphere.  Two of the worst droughts in the Americas have occurred in the past ten years…droughts that used to occur once a century.

In the Caribbean, sea level rise may claim 1,200 square miles of coastal land in the next 50 years, and some islands may have to be completely evacuated.  According to some estimates, rising temperatures could melt entire glaciers in the Andes, which could have cascading economic and security consequences.

These climate trends will clearly have implications for our militaries.  A higher tempo and intensity of natural disasters could demand more support for our civil authorities, and more humanitarian assistance and relief.  Our coastal installations could be vulnerable to rising shorelines and flooding, and extreme weather could impair our training ranges, supply chains, and critical equipment.  Our militaries’ readiness could be tested, and our capabilities could be stressed.

DoD’s Plan to Address Climate Change Risks

The U.S. Department of Defense takes these risks very seriously, and that is why today we are launching a new Climate Change Adaptation Roadmap.  Building on one of the main themes of this year’s CDMA, this roadmap lays out our plan for confronting the challenges posed by climate change.

This roadmap shows how we are identifying, with tangible and specific metrics, and using the best available science, the effects of climate change on the Department’s missions and responsibilities.  We have nearly completed a baseline survey to assess the vulnerability of our military’s more than 7,000 bases, installations, and other facilities.

Drawing on these assessments, we will integrate climate change considerations into our planning, operations, and training.  Last year, for example, I released the Department of Defense’s Arctic Strategy, which addresses the potential security implications of rapidly melting Arctic ice.