U.S. House panel wants to know how climate change impacts the military

By Mike Stone, Reuters - June 29, 2017
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US soldiers prepare a M1 Abrams tank to offload from a train at the Mihail Kogalniceanu Air Base, Romania, February 14, 2017. (Inquam Photos / Octav Ganea via Reuters)
US soldiers prepare a M1 Abrams tank to offload from a train at the Mihail Kogalniceanu Air Base, Romania, February 14, 2017. (Inquam Photos / Octav Ganea via Reuters)

WASHINGTON — U.S. lawmakers on the House of Representatives Armed Services Committee asked the Pentagon on Wednesday to produce a report on climate change and its effects on the military.

The report would list each service’s 10 most vulnerable military installations at risk of flooding, sea level rise and wildfires or other threats associated with climate change.

The amendment’s language quoted Secretary of Defense James Mattis as saying, “I agree that the effects of a changing climate — such as increased maritime access to the Arctic, rising sea levels, desertification, among others — impact our security situation.”

In recent years, President Donald Trump had expressed skepticism about whether climate change is real, sometimes calling it a hoax. But since becoming president, he has not offered an opinion.

The House Armed Services Committee adopted the measure brought by Representative Jim Langevin, a Democrat.

The defense policy bill has yet to be considered by the full House.