Thursday, June 26, 2008

US intelligence agencies fret that warming may cause instability

US News and World Report: U.S. intelligence agencies usually work hard to stay outside the political fray [what a novel statement!], but this week they waded firmly into the debate over climate change by producing an unsettling assessment of the national security implications of changing weather patterns.

"We assess that no country will be immune to the effects of climate change, but some will be able to cope more effectively than others," says Thomas Fingar, who heads the National Intelligence Council, which drafted the assessment, adding that sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East, and Central and Southeast Asia would be the hardest-hit regions. "However, the spillover—from potentially increased migration and water-related disputes—could have a harmful global impact."

The full report, issued as a National Intelligence Assessment, is classified, and officials say they are not planning to release it. The NIA is distinct from the better-known National Intelligence Estimates by being more speculative and relying more heavily on public sources. Both represent the consensus judgment of the nation's 16 intelligence agencies and carry great analytic weight in Washington.

Appearing before a congressional panel, Fingar discussed the report's findings, which focused heavily on the potential impact of climate change in the next two decades on agricultural production, severe weather effects, water resources, and the possibility of refugee flows from newly drought-ridden areas….

The symbol of the Roman empire, as rendered by Piotr MichaƂ Jaworski (PioM EN DE PL), who has generously released it into the public domain via Wikimedia Commons. Thank you, Piotr

1 comment:

DANIELBLOOM said...

Good post. I am monitoring this stuff too. Have you heard of my project about POLAR CITIES for survivors of global warming? I figure we might need them around 2500 or so, and I have written to Fingar about this. of course, no reply. But i am sure the USA govt and other govts are already planning their own polar cities for their own VIPs and powerful families, leaving the rest of us out in the cold, well, it won't be cold, it will be HOT. 500 years.

Wonder if you can take a look at my images, created by Deng Cheng Hong in Taiwan, and Lovelock has seen them and approves of them and told me IT MAY VERY WELL HAPPEN AND SOON.

Maybe you can blog one day on polar cities? Please do. Pro or con. I am curious to know your POV on all this.

As for Fingar's testimoney, he did not mention POLAR CITIES at all, but you can bet the Homeland Sec dept already has plans in place for polar cities in Alaska -- Juneau, Fairbanks, Anchroage, Nome....

Email me offline if want to chat: this is now my life's work. DANNY BLOOM, Tufts 1971

http://pcillu101.blogspot.com
Danny Bloom | Homepage | 06.29.08 - 2:32 am | #