Welcome to DU! The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards. Join the community: Create a free account Support DU (and get rid of ads!): Become a Star Member Latest Breaking News General Discussion The DU Lounge All Forums Issue Forums Culture Forums Alliance Forums Region Forums Support Forums Help & Search

hatrack

(59,592 posts)
Tue Feb 27, 2018, 09:00 AM Feb 2018

2010: 30 US Bases Faced "Increasing Risks" From SLR; 2018: 200+ Have Experienced Storm Surge

A growing number of U.S. military sites are being damaged by sea level rise fueled by climate change, and that will threaten the military's ability to protect vital national security interests if the Pentagon and Congress don't take faster action, a panel of retired admirals and generals warns in a new report.

More than 200 domestic installations reported in a recent Defense Department assessment that they had been flooded by storm surges, compared to about 30 in 2008, the new report released Monday by the Center for Climate and Security says.

The report spotlights flooding and erosion risks to installations as diverse as the Marine Corps' boot camp at Parris Island in South Carolina, the nuclear submarine repair site in Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Maine and a missile defense system against possible attacks from Asia based in the Marshall Islands. It's based on a synthesis of Congressional testimony by Pentagon officials and several federal studies in the last 18 months about the impact of climate change on national security.

"A number of coastal military bases and training sites are already experiencing the effects of sea level rise, tidal flooding and storm surge, and recent research shows that these effects are accelerating and will continue to do so more quickly than previously thought," said Heather Messera, who chaired the committee that wrote the report. "Now is both the operationally practical and fiscally responsible time to act," she said.

EDIT

https://insideclimatenews.org/news/26022018/sea-level-rise-military-bases-damaged-national-security-risk-report-admirals-generals

https://climateandsecurity.files.wordpress.com/2018/02/military-expert-panel-report_sea-level-rise-and-the-us-militarys-mission_2nd-edition_02_2018.pdf

Latest Discussions»Issue Forums»Environment & Energy»2010: 30 US Bases Faced ...