Pentagon Acknowledges Climate Change in Latest Defense Review
They say war makes for strange bedfellows, a saying more true with every war and conflict fought. And now a new war is upon us – one much larger and potentially much more tragic, a war that has no fronts and no trenches to hide in. Climate change, despite two wars in the Middle East and random threats at home, is an unprecedented foe. 
Environmentalists have been clamoring for renewable energy and combative steps against climate change for years and, surprisingly, the armed forces have actually taken some of those steps.
The latest “green” tactic enlisted by the Pentagon is the inclusion and acknowledgment of climate change in its latest Quadrennial Defense Review. The report demands climate change assessments at all Department of Defense (DoD) locations to better understand the impact of rising sea levels, desertification and other predicted consequences of global warming.
This push for recognition and action on climate change within the DoD is a bit less significant given the present administration’s views on the subject (as compared to the last). But taking steps toward renewable energy and energy efficiency is not a new tactic for the armed forces. The Army has solar projects underway from Texas to Hawaii, including a 500-megawatt solar thermal power plant at Fort Irwin, California. The Navy already uses 17 percent renewable energy and plans to cut GHG emissions by 50 percent by 2015. And the Air Force resides among Portland, Oregon and San Francisco as one of the top green power purchasers in the land.
Past and present moves by the DoD and individual branches of the Armed Forces are noteworthy and admirable, but do not erase the environmental degradation caused by war. Bombs, brigades and bases all require a lot of energy and expense to perform. Last year, the Pentagon admitted that it costs $400 per gallon to get conventional fuel to remote bases in Afghanistan. Not to mention the amount of fuel spent and greenhouse gases emitted during the arduous journey.
Photo Credit: Daily Press
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Posted on February 5th in Solar Politics by Dan.