Neil Morisetti Discusses Climate Change and National Security
Monday, June 21 1:59 pm
UK Climate and Energy Security Envoy Rear Admiral Neil Morisetti will be a featured speaker at the panelClimate Change: the Threat and Opportunity for Global Securityat the Museum on June 22. He recently answered some questions about the connection between climate change and national security.
Why is the Ministry of Defence concerned about climate change?
The objectives of the UK Ministry of Defence are to achieve success in military tasks at home and abroad, be ready to respond to tasks that might arise, and, to build for the future. To be able to achieve this it is necessary to fully understand the threats and challenges that we are likely to face. In the case of climate change it is unlikely that it will be the direct cause of conflict. Rather it will act as a ‘threat multiplier’ in the regions that are already experiencing multiple stresses. Conflict in many of these regions has the potential to impact UK’s interests and security. Therefore we need to better understand how people will react to the second and third order consequences of climate change, including the loss of land and livelihood.
At the same time it is important to ensure that we have the appropriate capabilities to undertake missions in the future world, whether it is humanitarian assistance in response to extreme weather events, conflict prevention, or conflict resolution. In all cases we must also make sure that delivery of that capability is sustainable and does not substantially contribute to the causes of climate change: key to this is reducing our dependency on fossil fuels.
Can you explain what the bipartisan climate bill is? What effect has it had in the UK?
The Climate Change Act 2008 arose out of significant cross-party agreement in the UK on the importance of action to tackle climate change. As well as improving carbon management domestically, the Act aims to provide strong leadership internationally which is essential as we work towards a post-2012 global agreement . The Act established ambitious, legally binding targets to reduce emissions, including a reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, against a 1990 baseline, of at least 80% by 2050. Perhaps the most important consequence of this legislation so far has been the Low Carbon Transition Plan, which provides a long-term road map for delivering cuts in emissions. It includes plans to get more of our power from renewable sources, make our homes greener, cut emissions from transport and farming and even make government greener.
How do the UK and US currently cooperate on climate change, and what are the areas in which our approaches differ?
The US and UK understand that climate change does not recognize boundaries. One area that the US and UK work closely together on is technology development. The UK is currently a world leader in offshore wind technology and we are sharing our expertise with US counterparts. Another technology we work closely on is carbon capture and storage (CCS). The UK and US are both developing CCS demonstration plants, in order to test the new technology.
One area of difference is that in the UK, we have a comprehensive and legally binding climate change bill that mandates significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. In the US, the House of Representatives passed a similar bill last June, but the Senate has not yet approved their version.
