A CLIMATE SECURITY PLAN FOR AMERICA

The report argues that climate change is a vital national security risk that requires a whole-of-government response. It proposes a 'Climate Security Plan for America' structured around four pillars: demonstrating leadership through a new White House Office on Climate Security, assessing risks via a Climate Security Crisis Watch Center, bolstering international resilience to compete with adversaries like China and Russia, and building domestic infrastructure resilience. The plan emphasizes the need for the U.S. to remain in the Paris Agreement and to integrate climate foresight into military doctrine and intelligence assessments.

• Climate change acts as a threat multiplier that exacerbates existing security challenges in four primary ways: threatening critical infrastructure, driving state instability, emboldening competitors and adversaries, and challenging U.S. global leadership.
• The U.S. faces specific geostrategic risks from climate change, such as the receding Arctic ice allowing Russia and China to expand their influence, and water scarcity in Pakistan increasing tensions with India.
• The report recommends the creation of a White House Office on Climate Security, led by a senior official reporting directly to the President, to oversee a government-wide Climate Security Plan enshrined in a National Strategy Directive.
• To improve foresight, the report proposes establishing an interagency Climate Security Crisis Watch Center within the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) to provide annual in-depth assessments and early warning capabilities.
• The U.S. is urged to bolster the climate resilience of allies and partners to prevent state fragility and conflict, specifically through Regional Climate Security Plans and a Climate Security Conflict Prevention Framework for State and USAID.
• The report highlights the need for a 'Climate Security Infrastructure Initiative' to protect military and civilian assets, noting that DoD installations sustained over $8 billion in damage from extreme weather in a single year.
• The report argues that the U.S. must announce its intention to remain in the Paris Agreement to recover lost international prestige and counter China's efforts to fill the global leadership vacuum in clean energy and resilience.
• The plan calls for the creation of a National Arctic Security Policy and a National Arctic Security Council to manage the emerging theater of operations created by melting ice.
• The report advocates for an economy-wide Climate Security Prevention Policy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions globally to avoid catastrophic security consequences.

APA

Conger, J., Femia, F., & Werrell, C. (2019). A CLIMATE SECURITY PLAN FOR AMERICA. The Council on Strategic Risks. https://climateandsecurity.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/a-climate-security-plan-for-america_2019_9_24-1.pdf

Chicago

Conger, John, Francesco Femia, and Caitlin Werrell. A CLIMATE SECURITY PLAN FOR AMERICA. The Council on Strategic Risks, 2019. https://climateandsecurity.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/a-climate-security-plan-for-america_2019_9_24-1.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Conger |first1=John |last2=Femia |first2=Francesco |last3=Werrell |first3=Caitlin |title=A CLIMATE SECURITY PLAN FOR AMERICA |publisher=The Council on Strategic Risks |date=September 2019 |url=https://climateandsecurity.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/a-climate-security-plan-for-america_2019_9_24-1.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{conger2019climate, author = {Conger, John and Femia, Francesco and Werrell, Caitlin}, title = {{A CLIMATE SECURITY PLAN FOR AMERICA}}, institution = {The Council on Strategic Risks}, year = {2019}, month = sep, url = {https://climateandsecurity.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/a-climate-security-plan-for-america_2019_9_24-1.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }