By Linking Climate Change to Security, Biden Tasks Policymakers With a Tall Order

MIN READJan 29, 2021 | 17:24 GMT

U.S. President Joe Biden prepares to sign executive orders after speaking about climate change issues in the State Dining Room of the White House on Jan. 27, 2021, in Washington D.C. Behind him stands Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry (left) and Vice President Kamala Harris (right).

(Anna Moneymaker-Pool/Getty Images)

The White House’s move to elevate climate change to a national security priority will enable immediate policy-making changes that belie the more complex long-term challenge of actually incorporating environmental impacts into strategic calculations. On Jan. 27, amid signing a series of executive orders targeting what he termed the global “climate crisis,” U.S. President Joe Biden instructed the military and national security community to prioritize climate change considerations when formulating policy. The president’s direction forms a small portion of his administration’s pledge to revive efforts to address climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies at home and abroad. Former President Donald Trump, by contrast, repeatedly expressed skepticism about the scientific consensus on climate science, and took steps to deprioritize or fully remove policies addressing the impact of climate change from his administration’s agenda....