U.S. President-Elect Biden and the Climate Security Nexus: Recommendations for the Way Ahead

The Council on Strategic Risks argues that the U.S. President should make climate change a vital national security priority. It evaluates President-elect Biden's plan to commission a National Intelligence Estimate on climate security, require annual reports from the Secretary of Defense, and invest in military base resilience. The author advocates for further steps, including the creation of senior climate security positions in the White House and the development of Regional Climate Security Plans.

• The 'Climate Security Plan for America', supported by sixty-four senior retired flag officers and intelligence experts, emphasizes that the U.S. President must "demonstrate leadership" by making climate change a "vital national security priority."
• President-elect Biden's published climate plan identifies climate change as a "threat multiplier" and proposes several specific security actions: commissioning a National Intelligence Estimate on security impacts (including water scarcity and migration), requiring annual reports from the Secretary of Defense and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and developing a comprehensive strategy via the National Security Advisor.
• Biden intends to prioritize the resilience of military bases and critical security infrastructure, noting that extreme weather caused more than $8 billion in damages to Department of Defense bases in the previous year.
• The author recommends further actions beyond Biden's initial plan, including establishing senior climate security positions in the White House, the Department of Defense, and the Department of State, as well as creating Regional Climate Security Plans and a Climate Security Infrastructure Initiative.

APA

The Council on Strategic Risks (2020). U.S. President-Elect Biden and the Climate Security Nexus: Recommendations for the Way Ahead. https://councilonstrategicrisks.org/2020/11/09/u-s-president-elect-biden-and-the-climate-security-nexus-recommendations-for-the-way-ahead/

Chicago

The Council on Strategic Risks. U.S. President-Elect Biden and the Climate Security Nexus: Recommendations for the Way Ahead. 2020. https://councilonstrategicrisks.org/2020/11/09/u-s-president-elect-biden-and-the-climate-security-nexus-recommendations-for-the-way-ahead/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=The Council on Strategic Risks |title=U.S. President-Elect Biden and the Climate Security Nexus: Recommendations for the Way Ahead |date=9 November 2020 |url=https://councilonstrategicrisks.org/2020/11/09/u-s-president-elect-biden-and-the-climate-security-nexus-recommendations-for-the-way-ahead/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{thecouncilonstrategicrisks2020presidentelect, author = {{The Council on Strategic Risks}}, title = {{U.S. President-Elect Biden and the Climate Security Nexus: Recommendations for the Way Ahead}}, publisher = {The Council on Strategic Risks}, year = {2020}, month = nov, url = {https://councilonstrategicrisks.org/2020/11/09/u-s-president-elect-biden-and-the-climate-security-nexus-recommendations-for-the-way-ahead/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }