This is not a friendly conversation about war. This is about National Security.
Government is necessary to ensure the proper use of force. The purpose of government is to protect the individual rights of citizens. In the Preamble to the Constitution, the people want to: “… establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity…”
Now in December 2015, we look back on the global wars and internal conflicts since the American Revolution with pride and sadness. We honor those who gave their lives that we might enjoy the benefits of justice, freedom and liberty.
There have been times when the welfare of Americans has been threatened by external forces and at other times by internal conflicts. Always there have been working people listening to their leaders, and rising to the challenges in the name of national security.
Today, working people are again listening to their leaders, to news media, to conversations online, and to the news coming from the assembled delegates in Paris at COP21. Why would tens of thousands of people from all over the world come together like never before in one place, unless there was a global crisis?
We will face this new crisis, this new threat to our security, with the same determination and courage as we have in the past. Since WWII, we have not faced a global threat to civilization like the one organized against us now. But who is the face of the enemy?
Who do the Chinese families blame when their children, parents and grandparents die prematurely from respiratory diseases caused by air pollution?
For decades, the fossil fuel industry has made clear that they intend not only to dominate all life and beliefs within their corporations but also to enslave the world and then extract all the resources from the earth for profit. They play us off against each other, creating two world views opposed to each other. When we follow the money there is a path from energy consultants and politicians back through clandestine relationships to the fossil fuel industry. The politicians admit that others are correct when we say that these two world views will never reconcile.
In other words, the peace talks going on in Paris at COP21 will result in appeasement for a few years, maybe five years. Ultimately, there can be no peace with the present inequality of energy, food, water and security in the world. The refugee flow will increase over the next five years, creating a humanitarian crisis never experienced before. Forget what you believe or don’t believe about the climate and weather, the current events are evidence of the growing crisis.
Let’s not ignore the 1936-1939 Appeasement by England with Germany prior to WWII. There is a lesson to learn about how the delayed action makes things worse later. Now COP21 is our modern day appeasement.
At this moment, the forces allied against us are modern day isolationists within America. These forces are using a delaying strategy to keep the federal government from acting to ensure the proper use of force and to protect individual rights. All the while, local city, county and state governments who understand cause and effect are taking action to deal with the coming crisis.
The Republican politicians in the House and Senate are blocking action to put people to work, invest in infrastructure and improve the American economy. Their world view is not going to change. The civil wars in Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan and many other countries are creating thousands of refugees and Republicans continue to support a wall between America and any other country.
Some people like to believe that what happens in other countries is of no concern to us. But the quality of the oceans on our two coasts is of vital importance. What happens when China’s air pollution floats on the wind across the Pacific to America? The Pacific Ocean is warmer, more acidic and more polluted because countries have blown past pollution limits. They seem to be pivoting now to reduce emissions but still polluting.
Does anyone seriously believe that America does not have a national security problem of global magnitude? Intense weather events and refugees are a threat multiplier for America’s Armed Forces. Now, in 2015, they bred terrorists and destabilize governments in Asia, the Middle East and Africa. America’s strong economy and wealth are the most tempting targets in the world.
The Navy already owns three Montford Point-class vessels, a fourth is under construction and a fifth will be built starting in 2016. Originally designed to support amphibious beach assaults, the ships are also ideal for swiftly responding to natural disasters by delivering relief supplies by air and by sea, as well as helping to care for victims.
The government-sponsored National Research Council studied military disaster-relief efforts. "The U.S. Navy, as a forward-deployed force, is in position to reach disaster relief sites faster than other agencies and will almost assuredly experience increased demand for assistance if disasters increase due to climate change," the Council stated in its official report.
Flooding and extreme weather pose risks to existing Naval ports and military bases that will compromise our military readiness. Our National Security does not ignore cause and effect. We do not make unexamined assumptions. We do not express beliefs without facts. We do not use correlations without evidence of cause and effect.
Americans like to remember the past and many believe we can maintain our present lifestyle without making changes or giving up on idealistic dreams. Of vital concern for National Security is that our control of the oceans does not falter as millions of refugees migrate and governments destabilize when flooding and extreme weather deny people fresh water, food and shelter. We do not face an enemy that can overwhelm us with their weapons. The threat is that we will be overwhelmed trying to respond to disasters all over the world at the same time we are trying to deal with the same problems at home.
There is no exaggeration when we rely on our Armed Forces to tell all Americans that the consequences of climate change are happening now and things are going to get worse before they get better. Our technology advantage is not going to save us from a catastrophe that is already baked into the Earth System. Over decades, past industrial development has increased the heat absorbed by the oceans and the atmosphere to a level such that we will all be living with the consequences.
We can no longer ignore the undeniable fact that the evil forces that have corrupted so many others are already within our borders. Our experience over the past decade has proven beyond a doubt that no nation can negotiate with drought, floods and famine that force people to extreme idealogical violence. There can be no appeasement with ruthlessness. There is no reasoning with a suicide bomb.
We know now every nation on earth must deal with the consequences of climate change or face total surrender. Terrorists have become accomplices with the forces of nature. They do not understand how soon they will be surrounded by an uninhabitable landscape. They are attempting to draw us into their chaos. We must form a global alliance to fight the root cause of the failure of governments to deal with terrorism within their borders.
European governments and our allies are conducting an active war against the unholy alliance of terrorists in many different countries. America’s future security is very dependent on the outcome of the fight to avoid famine and chaos in other countries. There is less chance that America will get involved in a ground war if we do all we can now to support the countries fighting to avoid famine and chaos caused by the consequences of climate change. If we allow the weak and vulnerable countries to fail, one by one, then we will be waiting our turn to be attacked by a stronger enemy later.
Any path we choose has risks. Our National Security reports prioritize the risks, then analyze ways to adapt and mitigate those risks. COP21 in Paris confirmed that a majority of people in the world support the course advocated by governments, business, NGOs and religious organizations that involves the least risk now and the greatest hope for global peace and economic progress for everyone in the future.
The people of Europe who are on the front lines defending themselves, welcoming refugees and attacking the enemy, are not asking us to do their fighting for them. They are asking us for the implements of economic growth: financing, leadership, existing technology and equipment to fight for their lives, liberty and freedom. Clearly, America must deliver to the global community the tools they need to transition to a clean energy economy so that our children’s children can be saved the agony of the consequences of a global catastrophe that we will have to endure.
We are not defeated, do not let anyone deny our future or tell us we are too late. Now is the time for a global mobilization. Working people are voicing their support for action. Businesses are investing time and money to mobilize their employees, products and services to support a transition to a clean energy economy. Local authorities are the real trailblazers in the fight against climate change. With cities and regions behind more than 70% of climate change reduction measures, they’re a crucial partner that needs to be included in future mobilization plans.
There are many things we can do at home to transition to a clean energy economy. Energy and transportation are two sectors that get a lot of attention. We also will need to change our diet and eat less meat, specifically consumption of beef will need to be reduced. Out of all the other things we can do, one thing that government can do is to put a price on carbon. This would be a way to phase out the subsidies currently given to resource extraction and provide a way to value the costs to society of carbon pollution.
The GI Generation never gave up on their goal of liberating Europe. We have good reasons for hope that America’s new generational alignment in 2020 will never give up on the goal of equality and justice for survivors of the consequences of climate change. We have hope for the defense of our homeland against the silent invasion of a warming atmosphere, rising sea levels, acidic oceans, and extreme weather events. We have hope for delivering aid to migrants and refugees crossing our borders. We have hope for America to adapt, to mitigate risks and to develop a sustainable economy.
The US Military report to the President has stated that climate change is a national security threat that will continue to produce waves of refugees, caused by food crises and destabilized governments leading to local conflicts and regional wars. A significant threat multiplier for a US combat commander is the moral dilemma of dealing with refugees in the line of fire.
As President of the United States, you can call on a national mobilization to fight the common enemy of every country. Our common cause will succeed only when we align our national security with the security of every nation.
Sincerely,
Richard K. Turnock
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