[CPEO-MEF] CLIMATE: "The Military Is Resisting Trump's Denialism, but It's Still Not a Force for Climate Justice"

[Lenny Siegel <lsiegel@cpeo.org>]

The Military Is Resisting Trump's Denialism, but It's Still Not a Force for Climate Justice

By Nick Buxton
Truth out 
April 4, 2017 

As Donald Trump hacks away at any traces of Obama's climate programs and policies, there is a certain irony that the only defender of climate action within his cabinet of ideologues and billionaires has come from the US military, which would be the biggest single winner in Trump's proposed budget. The Department of Defense's massive $58 billion budget boost is justified in part by government officials promising brutal cuts in other agencies such as the Environmental Protection Agency. Yet so far, the only cabinet official to speak out in favor of climate action has been Secretary of Defense James Mattis. Dubbed the "lone green hope," Mattis has publicly stated that climate change is happening and that the government has a duty to tackle it.

In written comments to the Senate Armed Services Committee that reviewed his appointment, Mattis argued: "I agree that the effects of a changing climate -- such as increased maritime access to the Arctic, rising sea levels, desertification, among others -- impact our security situation. I will ensure that the department continues to be prepared to conduct operations today and in the future, and that we are prepared to address the effects of a changing climate on our threat assessments, resources, and readiness."

…

For the entire article, see
http://www.truth-out.org/news/item/40082-the-military-is-resisting-trumps-denialism-but-its-still-not-a-force-for-climate-justice

--

Lenny Siegel
Executive Director
Center for Public Environmental Oversight
a project of the Pacific Studies Center
P.O. Box 998, Mountain View, CA 94042
Voice/Fax: 650/961-8918 
<lsiegel@cpeo.org>
http://www.cpeo.org

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