The Stream, September 14: Climate Change And Security Intertwined, U.S. Experts Say
The Global Rundown
Climate change is a growing threat to national and international security, U.S. officials asserted in a new report. Protests over a water dispute in India shut down businesses in Bengaluru. Climate change, agriculture, and urbanization are threatening wildlife in the United Kingdom. Indonesia plans to resume work on a giant sea wall to protect Jakarta. Prominent protests against an oil pipeline in North Dakota have failed to deter the company behind the project.
“We cannot allow our drinking water to be poisoned so that a handful of fossil fuel companies can make even more in profits.” –U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders, speaking at a rally in Washington, D.C. against the Dakota Access oil pipeline. The company building the pipeline, Energy Transfer Partners, said it is committed to finishing the line despite growing public opposition. (Reuters)
By The Numbers
1 in 10 Number of wildlife species in the United Kingdom that face extinction due to climate change, urbanization, and more intensive agriculture, according to the 2016 State of Nature Report. Guardian
$3.74 billion Estimated economic activity lost in Bengaluru, India’s “Silicon Valley”, due to violent protests over a water dispute between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. The protests forced some companies to shut down on Tuesday. Reuters
Science, Studies, And Reports
Climate change is a direct threat to coastal military installations and could contribute to international conflict and migration, according to a report by national security experts in the United States. In response, the federal government should highlight climate change in its intelligence assessments and create a cabinet-level position dedicated to climate change and security, the report’s authors said. Guardian
On The Radar
Following a five-month suspension of work on a massive sea wall, Indonesia indicated it would resume construction in an effort to stop Jakarta from sinking. The wall is part of a master plan that includes updating the city’s flood canals and building 17 artificial islands offshore. Reuters
A news correspondent for Circle of Blue based out of Hawaii. She writes The Stream, Circle of Blue’s daily digest of international water news trends. Her interests include food security, ecology and the Great Lakes.
Contact Codi Kozacek
