Two national-security experts say the Trump administration's attack on programs designed to slow global climate change will destabilize countries, especially in the Middle East, and threaten U.S. military facilities at home and abroad. Retired U.S. Marine Corps General Stephen Cheney is C-E-O of the American Security Project.
The president recently signed an order voiding the Obama administration's Clean Power Plan to boost the coal industry, claiming regulations cost jobs and hinder growth. But Cheney says Defense Secretary Jim Mattis is among those who believe climate change is human-caused and a threat to stability. Mattis is likely to include it in his national-security plans. Zach Roberts of Columbus works with the Truman National Security Project. He says the nation's dependence on fossil fuels puts the military directly at risk. As a member of the Ohio Air National Guard, Roberts served in Southeast Asia, where he saw soldiers killed in convoys transporting fuel. He says that threat is motivating the military to move away from fossil fuels.]
Roberts says the president's rollback of the Clean Power Plan jeopardizes the nation's position as a global leader in fighting climate change because America will be unable to meet emissions reduction targets under the Paris Climate Treaty.
