Author(s):
Eugene J. Palka, Professor* - US Military Academy, West Point
Abstract:
As geographers study the earth as the home of humanity, we are constantly reminded that changes to the human habitat can have profound social, political, and economic impacts on inhabitants. Observed increases in global average air and ocean temperatures, widespread melting of ice and snow, and rising global average sea level provide unquestionable evidence of global climate change (IPCC, 2007). As we postulate the impact on people and their ways of life around the world, we anticipate that climate change may have a particularly negative impact on those regions of the world where people struggle to subsist on marginal lands. These are already volatile places as different culture groups compete for scarce resources. When U.S. interests are at stake in such places, the U.S. government must consider a range of diplomatic, economic, and military options to effectively address the problem. In such instances, when other measures fail, the U.S. Military may be employed as a means to diffuse or resolve the situation. Although its primary mission is to fight and win the nation's wars, the U.S. Military also must be postured to deploy anywhere in the world (to include regions where climate change contributes to deteriorating environmental conditions and escalating violence or threatens national interests) to undertake operations as directed by our government. Although the individual service components (Army, Navy, Air Force) operate jointly during most major operations and campaigns, each service would be impacted differently by climate change and rising sea level, given their differing missions, organization, and equipment.
