The CIA and Climate Change 01/13/2010
Russia plants a flag in the Arctic
Last fall, the CIA opened a new center for studying the effects of climate change on national security. The Pentagon is following suit by including climate change as a security threat in the 2010 Quadrennial Defense Review.
The CIA also restarted a program, scrapped by President Bush, to share satellite data with climate change scientists. The CIA controls one of the most sophisticated satellite imaging networks in the world. Incidentally, these satellites gather invaluable data on arctic ice levels and glacial melting.
Of course, the CIA’s entry (or reentry) into the field of climate change offers tons of new fodder for conspiracy theorists. Political opportunists are also taking the opportunity for cheap shots, claiming that Obama is using resources for climate change that should be used to combat terrorists. In reality, the CIA already gathers more satellite imagery than it can analyze by itself, and satellites have limited usefulness in combating al-Qaeda anyway. Climate change is also expected to increasingly contribute to future conflicts, including the emerging “cold war” for arctic resources.
The CIA also restarted a program, scrapped by President Bush, to share satellite data with climate change scientists. The CIA controls one of the most sophisticated satellite imaging networks in the world. Incidentally, these satellites gather invaluable data on arctic ice levels and glacial melting.
Of course, the CIA’s entry (or reentry) into the field of climate change offers tons of new fodder for conspiracy theorists. Political opportunists are also taking the opportunity for cheap shots, claiming that Obama is using resources for climate change that should be used to combat terrorists. In reality, the CIA already gathers more satellite imagery than it can analyze by itself, and satellites have limited usefulness in combating al-Qaeda anyway. Climate change is also expected to increasingly contribute to future conflicts, including the emerging “cold war” for arctic resources.
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