U.S. GENERALS URGE CLIMATE ACTION

[Anonymous]

US generals urge climate action
Former US military leaders have called on the Bush administration to make major cuts in greenhouse gas emissions.
In
a report, they say global warming poses a serious threat to national
security, as the US could be drawn into wars over water and other
conflicts.
They appear to criticise President George W Bush’s
refusal to join an international treaty to cut emissions.Among the 11
authors are ex-Army chief of staff Gordon Sullivan and Mr Bush’s
ex-Mid-East peace envoy Anthony Zinni.The report says the US “must
become a more constructive partner” with other nations to fight global
warming and deal with its consequences.It warns that over the next 30
to 40 years, there will be conflicts over water resources, as well as
increased instability resulting from rising sea levels and global
warming-related refugees.”The chaos that results can be an incubator of
civil strife, genocide and the growth of terrorism,” the 35-page report
predicts.

Pay now – or later’
 Writing
in the report, Gen Zinni, a former commander of US Central Command,
says: “It’s not hard to make the connection between climate change and
instability, or climate change and terrorism.”He adds: “We will pay for
this one way or another. We will pay to reduce greenhouse gas emissions
today, and we’ll have to take an economic hit of some kind.”Or we will
pay the price later in military terms. And that will involve human
lives. There will be a human toll.”The report was issued by a
Virginia-based national security think-tank, The CNA Corporation, and
was written by six retired admirals and five retired generals.

Climate scientists broadly endorsed the report.
But
Stanford scientist Terry Root, a joint author of this month’s
international scientific report on the effects of global warming on
life on Earth, said its timescale might be too alarmist, as some of the
predicted events – while likely to occur – could take longer than 30
years to happen.

[Author]

May 15, 2007 at 1:49 PM