CCS Comments on the First National Nature Assessment Zero Order Draft

The Center for Climate and Security (CCS) has submitted comments on the Zero Order Draft of the First National Nature Assessment (NNA1), prepared by the US Global Change Research Program (USGCRP). CCS supports the draft's inclusion of anthropogenic ecosystems, biotic eruptions, and the link between global nature loss and U.S. security. However, CCS recommends that the NNA1 expand its analysis to include unprotected, privately owned nature as a source of hazard aversion and incorporate benefit-cost analyses comparing nature-based solutions with synthetic alternatives. Additionally, CCS urges the inclusion of maladaptation risks to human and national security, citing examples from São Tomé and Príncipe and Vanuatu where climate finance projects failed to account for social inequalities and power dynamics.

• CCS recommends that the NNA1 include analysis of unprotected, privately owned nature—such as the privately owned forests in New England—as a source of potential hazard aversion, rather than focusing only on constructed or protected ecosystems.
• CCS suggests that the USGCRP provide benefit-cost analyses comparing nature-based solutions to synthetic technological solutions to help policymakers value the retention of ecosystems.
• CCS advocates for the NNA1 to expand its analysis of 'Avoiding unintended consequences of mitigation and adaptation' to include maladaptation risks specifically affecting human and U.S. national security.
• The document highlights that international climate finance can lead to maladaptation and instability if social inequalities and power dynamics are ignored, citing specific instances in São Tomé and Príncipe and Vanuatu.
• CCS acknowledges that the USGCRP has already incorporated several of its previous recommendations, including the analysis of anthropogenic ecosystems, biotic eruptions, global nature loss as a security threat, and the impact of climate-driven migration on nature.

APA

The Council on Strategic Risks (2024). CCS Comments on the First National Nature Assessment Zero Order Draft. https://councilonstrategicrisks.org/2024/12/06/ccs-comments-on-the-first-national-nature-assessment-zero-order-draft/

Chicago

The Council on Strategic Risks. CCS Comments on the First National Nature Assessment Zero Order Draft. 2024. https://councilonstrategicrisks.org/2024/12/06/ccs-comments-on-the-first-national-nature-assessment-zero-order-draft/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=The Council on Strategic Risks |title=CCS Comments on the First National Nature Assessment Zero Order Draft |date=6 December 2024 |url=https://councilonstrategicrisks.org/2024/12/06/ccs-comments-on-the-first-national-nature-assessment-zero-order-draft/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{thecouncilonstrategicrisks2024ccs, author = {{The Council on Strategic Risks}}, title = {{CCS Comments on the First National Nature Assessment Zero Order Draft}}, publisher = {The Council on Strategic Risks}, year = {2024}, month = dec, url = {https://councilonstrategicrisks.org/2024/12/06/ccs-comments-on-the-first-national-nature-assessment-zero-order-draft/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }