Democratic lawmakers slam Pentagon for scrapping climate studies
WASHINGTON, March 12 (Reuters) - Democratic lawmakers slammed President Donald Trump's administration for canceling U.S. military studies on the impact of climate change, saying the move jeopardizes national security by ignoring climate-related risks at home and abroad.
Scientists say climate change is increasing the intensity and frequency of hurricanes, tornadoes, flooding and wildfires. The lawmakers, in a previously unreported letter to U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, say that translates into damage to military bases, drawing U.S. troops to more relief missions and ushering in greater maritime access to the Arctic.
The issue has emerged in the United States as one of many that is dividing Republican and Democratic politicians. Trump, a Republican, has targeted climate programs as part of a broader effort to slash government spending.
Hegseth posted on X on Sunday: "The (Department of Defense) does not do climate change crap."
The Pentagon says it is scrapping 91 social science-related studies on topics ranging from global migration patterns and climate change impact to social trends and would save $30 million in a year.
It listed canceled studies including "Social and Institutional Determinants of Vulnerability and Resilience to Climate Hazards in the African Sahel" and "Food Fights: War Narratives and Identity Reproduction in Evolving Conflicts."
"Your threats to cut climate programs at the Department of Defense (DoD) will jeopardize our national security, putting thousands of American lives and billions of American taxpayer dollars at risk," wrote the four Democratic senators, Elizabeth Warren, Mazie Hirono, Richard Blumenthal and Tammy Duckworth in their letter, dated March 11.
The lawmakers cited billions of dollars in damage to U.S. bases in recent years, including flooding at Offutt Air Force Base in 2019 and storm damage at Andersen Air Force Base in Guam after it was struck by Typhoon Mawar in 2023.
There are also the lost hours in training as U.S. troops respond to weather-related emergencies.
"Just last year, more than 6,500 National Guard members, 250 members of the Army Corps of Engineers, and 100 Marines mobilized to recovery efforts after Hurricanes Helene and Milton devastated the Florida Gulf Coast, while many more responded to fight fires in Oregon, Tennessee, West Virginia, Massachusetts, Texas, and California," they wrote.
During the previous administration, led by President Joe Biden, the Pentagon had said it would include the risk of climate change in military simulations and war games.
Trump's administration withdrew from the board of the U.N.'s climate damage fund dedicated to helping poor and vulnerable countries cope with climate change-fueled disasters.
The withdrawal is one of many steps taken by Trump's administration to pull back from multilateral initiatives.
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