#environmental security

[greenfue]

Dr.Fawzy Younis: Marine Mine Clearance: Between the Legacy of Wars and Securing Maritime Routes

Dr.Fawzy Younis: Marine Mine Clearance: Between the Legacy of Wars and Securing Maritime Routes

[environmentinwarandarmedconflict]

Environmental Security in War and Armed Conflict.

Environmental Security in War and Armed Conflict

Yearly on November 6, the world observes the International Day for Preventing the Exploitation of the Environment in War and Armed Conflict.

Yearly on November 6, the world observes the International Day for Preventing the Exploitation of the Environment in War and Armed Conflict. This day serves as a reminder of the devastating impact that war and conflict can have on our environment.

Watch Environmental Security in War and Armed Conflict!

[in-sightpublishing]

Jerome C. Glenn on the Future of Futurists

Author(s): Scott Douglas Jacobsen Publication (Outlet/Website): The Good Men Project Publication Date (yyyy/mm/dd): 2024/08/04 Jerome Clayton Glenn is co-founder and CEO of The Millennium Project, a leading global participatory think tank with 71 Nodes around the world, and three regional networks which produces the State of the Future reports for over 25 years.  He was contracted by the EC…

[historyhermann]

Climate Change and the Military: Examining the Pentagon’s Integration of National Security Interests and Environmental Goals under Clinton [Part 12]

Continued from Part 11. These are the notes used for parts 1-10. So, it may be a bit long.

This post is reprinted from the National Security Archive website and my History Hermann WordPress blog. Archived here.

© 2022-2023 Burkely Hermann. All rights reserved.

Notes

[1] See “Climate Change Is Seen as Most Worrying Threat to World Security,” by Jonathan Tirone, Bloomberg, Feb. 18, 2022; “Turning the Tide: Unlearning Helplessness,” Munich Security Report 2022, Feb. 2022; “Federal pipeline regulator will consider climate change in assessing new projects,” by Maxine Joselow, Washington Post, Feb. 18, 2022; “Gas pipeline regulators to consider climate impacts for new projects,” by Rachel Frazin, The Hill, Feb. 17, 2022.

[2] “Congressional Action Relating to DOD and DOE Environmental Activities” (Summer 1996), Federal Facilities Environmental Journal, p. 138-9; Goodman, Sherri W. (Autumn 1996) “DOD Environmental Security: Investing in the Future,” Federal Facilities Environmental Journal, p. 97, 104.

[3] Goodman, Sherri W. (Winter 1997) “Remarks by Secretary of Defense William J. Perry to the Society of American Military Engineers,” Federal Facilities Environmental Journal, p. 108-11.

[4] Hourcle, Laurent R. (Summer 1996) “Environmental Compliance and Military Readiness,” Federal Facilities Environmental Journal, p. 7-11.

[5] Schweiter, Henry J. (Winter 1997) “Defense Environmental Legislation in the 104th Congress- A Retrospective,” Federal Facilities Environmental Journal, p. 17; Doxey, Kevin, Jeffrey Marqusee and Wendy Dunn. (Spring 1997) “DOD's Environmental Technology Development,” Federal Facilities Environmental Journal, p. 74.

[6] Goodman, Sherri W. (Summer 1997) “Environmental Security and the Marshall Plan: A Historical Perspective,” Federal Facilities Environmental Journal, p. 144-6; Goodman, Sherri W. (Winter 1997) “Remarks by Secretary of Defense William J. Perry to the Society of American Military Engineers,” Federal Facilities Environmental Journal, p. 107. In the Summer 1997 article, Goodman says that the U.S. military had been working with NATO on environmental matters since 1991.

[7] Goodman, Sherri W. (Winter 1998) “Defense Reform and Environmental Security,” Federal Facilities Environmental Journal, p. 67, 69, 71; West, Michael A. (Summer 1998) “Interview with Rear Admiral Andrew A. Granuzzo,” Federal Facilities Environmental Journal, p. 14-5; Katz, Michael A. and Jerry R. Hudson (Spring 1998) “National Defense Center for Environmental Excellence,” Federal Facilities Environmental Journal, p. 113-4.

[8] “Parties,” United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Conference of the Parties 4, 1998. The document also listed, on page 24, a military representative from Saudi Arabia, Sayed Faithi Al-Khouli, an economic advisor of the Meteorological and Environmental Protection Administration, part of the Saudi Ministry of Defense and Aviation.

[9] See “John D. Gibson,” Sourcewatch; “Holly Kaufman,” Sun Valley Forum, “Holly Kaufman,” GreenBiz; “Principal’s Biography,” Environment & Enterprise Strategies; “Holly Kaufman,” HuffPost; “ENB Retirees,” Earth Negotiations Bulletin. Kaufman also noted her former work in a December 20, 2017 tweet, writing that “the Nt'l Sec Strategy included climate change as threat since I worked on it at Defense Dept under Clinton in 1996.” She later worked as part of a “clean energy” organization on behalf of then-candidate Joe Biden in 2020 as noted on her LinkedIn , and co-authored an article with Goodman and former Principal Deputy Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller), John Conger, in December 2021.

[10] Green is now Division Chief of DOT’s division on Corporate Average Fuel Economy. In 2000 he authored a four-page document on ways to reduce emissions in the transportation sector.

[11] “Parties,” United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Conference of the Parties 5, 1999; “Parties,” United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Conference of the Parties 6, 2000, p. 59-60. Peters, who worked within the Pentagon’s Office of the Deputy Undersecretary of Defense for Environmental Security, would later describe himself as a “DOD worldwide pollution prevention leader.” He is also described by dtp-consulting as a “negotiator on the International Climate Treaty.”

[12] See “Duncan Marsh,” Climate Solutions which describes him as “a former US climate change negotiator, serving the US State Department from 1997 to 2001” and states that “he worked on the Kyoto protocol, the predecessor to the Paris climate agreement.” His LinkedIn states that he was a Foreign Affairs Officer from 1997 to 2001.

[13] In a March 31, 1998 press briefing, Sandalow noted that he was at the Council on Environmental Quality as associate director for the global environment and with the National Security Council as director for environmental affairs. He left post as assistant secretary of state for oceans and international environmental and scientific affairs on January 19, 2001. He would return to positions within the U.S. Department of Energy between 2009 to 2013.

[14] Other groups included Center for Environmental Law, Minnesotans for an Energy-Efficient Economy, National Environmental Trust, National Resources Defense Council, Ozone Action, Union of Concerned Scientists, World Wildlife Fund, and 20/20 Vision. Additional groups signed the appended report, some of which did not sign the original letter.

[15] “Congressional Action Relating to DOD and DOE Environmental Activities” (Winter 1999), Federal Facilities Environmental Journal, p. 103, 122. The Pentagon had been allocated money to prevent pollution from ships to “authorize discharges resulting from the use of pulpers and shredders” in 1996, consistent with the MARPOL Convention, according to page 117 of “Congressional Action Relating to DOD and DOE Environmental Activities” (Summer 1996), Federal Facilities Environmental Journal.

[16] Salomon, Roy K. (Summer 1999) “Global Climate Change and Military Readiness,” Federal Facilities Environmental Journal, p. 135-7, 139-42. By 1999, Saloman was no longer a Pentagon employee but he was working for them as an senior associate at the Booz Allen & Hamilton advising the Pentagon on “methodologies for calculating greenhouse gas emissions associated with bunker fuels and military operations and training.”

[17] See “NAVSEA Eliminates CFCs Onboard Carriers,” MarineLink, Apr. 6, 2009; “Navy settles environmental violations at Naval Station Norfolk,” Environmental Protection Agency, May 6, 2015.

[18] Yarosckak, Paul J. (Autumn 2000) “Department of the Navy - Fall Update,” Federal Facilities Environmental Journal, p. 136, 138-40, 142-3; Walker, Paul F. (Autumn 2000) “Environmental Management of Military Munitions and Lands,” Federal Facilities Environmental Journal, p. 142-3; Zettersten, Gay C. and Debra A. Dale (Winter 2000) “U.S. Army Environmental Protection Activities during Operations Joint Endeavor, Joint Guard, and Joint Forge,” Federal Facilities Environmental Journal, p. 24-26; McCall, Thomas (Autumn 2001) “How to Succeed in Winning and Maintaining Public Support for Military Testing and Training in the United States,” Federal Facilities Environmental Journal, p. 97; West, Michael A. (Summer 2001) “Interview with Rear Admiral Larry C. Baucom, Director of the Environmental Protection, Safety, and Occupational Health Division of the Department of the Navy,” Federal Facilities Environmental Journal, p. 7-8, 18.

[19] Canes, Michael E., Daniel P. Jackson, and Terri M. Jenkins (Autumn 2002) “Army Test and Evaluation Command Non-Tactical Vehicle Fleet: A Strategy for Complying with Executive Order 13149,” Federal Facilities Environmental Journal, p. 73-4, 76, 78; “Congressional Action Relating to DOD Environmental Activities” (Summer 2003), Federal Facilities Environmental Journal, p. 116; West, Michael A. (Spring 2003) “Interview with Ray DuBois, Deputy Under Secretary of Defense (Installations and Environment); Paul W. Mayberry, Deputy Under Secretary of Defense (Readiness); and Benjamin Cohen, General Counsel,” Federal Facilities Environmental Journal, p. 8, 10.

[20] “List of Participants,” United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Conference of the Parties 7, 2001, p 38; “Parties,” United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Conference of the Parties 8, 2002, p. 37.

[21] “An Abrupt Climate Change Scenario and Its Implications for United States National Security,” by Peter Schwartz and Doug Randall, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, October 2003; “To Take Climate Change Seriously, the U.S. Military Needs to Shrink,” Time, Alejandro de la Garza, Feb. 17, 2022. The Time article also notes that “about 70% of all the DOD’s energy use.”

[22] U.S. Army, “Climate Strategy,” February 2022; “Cutting Carbon Pollution in America,” Obama Administration White House Site, accessed May 17, 2022; “Obama: Climate change a national security issue,” by Leo Shane III, Military Times, May 20, 2015.

[23] See “Pentagon shutting down fuel tank facility in Hawaii that leaked into drinking water” by Ellen Mitchell, The Hill, Mar. 7, 2022; “Pentagon asking for $1B for Red Hill closure” by Kim Jarrett, Center Square, Mar. 29, 2022; “Pentagon to shut down leaking fuel tank facility in Hawaii” by Lolita S. Baldor, Associated Press, Mar. 7, 2022; “Pentagon Shuttering Hawaii Fuel Storage Facility that Leaked and Sickened Military Families” by Rebecca Kheel, Military.com, Mar. 7, 2022; “Is super-polluting Pentagon’s climate plan just ‘military-grade greenwash’?” by Iffah Kitchlew, The Guardian, Mar. 10, 2022.

[historyhermann]

Climate Change and the Military: Examining the Pentagon’s Integration of National Security Interests and Environmental Goals under Clinton [Part 1]

Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Environmental Security Sherri Goodman at an environmental conference, June 2, 1997. Goodman was a negotiator in Kyoto and a major advocate for Pentagon efforts to emphasize environmental security as a part of national security policy. (Photo credit: National Archives at College Park)

This post is reprinted from the National Security Archive website and my History Hermann WordPress blog. Archived here.

Published: May 26, 2022

Briefing Book # 794

Edited by Burkely Hermann

For more information, contact: 202-994-7000 or [email protected]

Related Links

National Security and Climate Change: Behind the U.S. Pursuit of Military Exemptions to the Kyoto Protocol

The Clinton White House and Climate Change, Part II: Engaging the Oval Office

The Clinton White House and Climate Change: The Struggle to Restore U.S. Leadership

Kyoto Redux?

U.S. Climate Change Policy in the 1980s

The U.S. and Climate Change: Washington’s See-Saw on Global Leadership

Washington, D.C., May 26, 2022 – The Pentagon’s role in U.S. environmental policy expanded during the Clinton presidency as the Pentagon became a more active player at international climate change conferences and pressed for acceptance of policies favorable to the U.S. military, according to declassified documents posted today by the nongovernmental National Security Archive.

For example, the Defense Department pushed for military exemptions to the Kyoto Protocol and gained defenders for that provision among U.S. climate change negotiators despite calls from other countries and nongovernmental environmental organizations to close what they described as a “loophole.” Partly responding to pressure from these quarters, the Pentagon also committed to adhering to practices that were more environmentally responsible.

The records in today’s posting primarily focus on perspectives of U.S. diplomats and officials who realized the importance of issues like bunker fuels, but also describe the Defense Department’s energy consumption, role in environmental policy, and interagency cooperation on climate change issues. This e-book also includes views of President Clinton’s closest advisers and shows the importance to the U.S. delegation of exemptions won in Kyoto after the third Conference of Parties in 1997.

President George H.W. Bush signing the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UN Photos)

These documents have particular relevance as a recent Munich Security Conference report concluded that climate change was a more pressing threat than war, while the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission voted to consider how pipelines and other projects affect climate change and greenhouse gas emissions in their future assessments. [1]

Frank Loy, under secretary of state for global affairs in Clinton's first term. (Wikipedia)

Virtually all of the documents posted here are the result of Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests. They appear in the latest collection from the Digital National Security Archive, The Diplomacy of Climate Change: U.S. Policy from the Montreal Protocol to the Paris Agreement, 1981-2015, edited by Dr. Robert A. Wampler, consisting of 2,440 professionally catalogued and indexed records, plus numerous finding aids, published by ProQuest and available at many major libraries.

© 2022-2023 Burkely Hermann. All rights reserved.