“Rising demand for resources, rapid urbanization of littoral regions, the effects of climate change, the emergence of new strains of disease, and profound cultural and demographic tensions in several regions are just some of the trends whose complex interplay may spark or exacerbate future conflicts (The Quadrennial Defense Review, 2010).”
Still true today! Read my published chapter (starting page 177) in the book, Sustainability and National Security:
Sustainability and National Security
PREVIEW: The climate is drastically changing. Global temperatures are increasing, storms are becoming more numerous and severe, and ocean levels are rising. The consequences of these changes include food shortages, fresh water scarcity, destruction of homes and a loss of life and livelihood on a previously unseen scale. The resulting social and economic unrest caused by these changes will exceed most governments’ capacities to cope with the crises. This will be the spark that ignites tomorrow’s regional conflicts and creates the humanitarian disasters to which the U.S. military will most certainly be drawn. To avoid overextending the capabilities of tomorrow’s military, the United States must make its allies and partners resilient: more adaptable to climate change and more capable of dealing with disaster response and prevention. Building resiliency into the Nation’s National Military Strategy (NMS) will require a cultural shift from within, expanded partnerships with academics and scientists conducting climate change research, and reformed Security Sector Assistance. A failure to act now will only increase the inevitable military resource drain in response to tomorrow’s humanitarian crises.