Publications

Energy, Water, and Climate Publications

May 1, 2012

In this memo, we look at an obvious but seldom discussed implication of climate change for installation managers: rising temperatures and their implications for installation energy use.

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November 1, 2011

In 2006, CNA brought together 11 recently retired three and four-star generals and admirals to form a Military Advisory Board (MAB), with the goal of examining the national security implications of climate change. Over the last five years, the CNA MAB has published three reports on the nexus of energy, climate, and national security. In this report the MAB focuses on the national security implications associated with shifting the U.S. transportation sector to alternative fuels.

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November 15, 2010

How will climate change affect military humanitarian and disaster response operations? Answering this question requires answering a number of other, related, questions. How will climate change affect the frequency, type, and nature of disasters and humanitarian emergencies? How will pressures from climate change affect social and economic factors that determine the security situation at the scene of the response? What types of disasters do US military forces respond to today, and how do they compare with those types of disaster most affected by climate change? Why does the US commit military forces to a disaster response operation? And what unique capabilities do they bring when they arrive?

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July 27, 2010

This report explores the growing challenges presented by the links that tie the nation’s current energy posture to its economy and national security. It looks at the potential opportunities that could result from the transition to a clean energy technology-based economy and the key role that the Department of Defense (DOD) can play to support innovation and commercialization of clean, low carbon energy, thereby directly contributing to America’s future economic competitiveness and bolstering national security.

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June 23, 2010

Climate change has the potential, even likelihood, to fundamentally transform our understanding of homeland security, public safety, and especially our capacities and capabilities to adapt to emergencies. In this report, the focus is on how climate change will interact with migration, both as cause of large-scale population displacements and, in turn, as consequence of shifting settlement patterns.

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June 17, 2010

This report focuses on the impact of climate change on comprehensive emergency management and preparedness policy. It seeks to outline key climate change issues for consideration from an emergency management perspective and begin a conversation on potential implications for the near-, medium-, and long-terms. It lays the foundation for future dialogue among emergency management practitioners from all levels of government to explore policy solutions in greater depth.

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March 1, 2010

As the price of energy rose dramatically in recent years, school districts suddenly faced unexpected increases in energy bills not accounted for in school budgets. This report examines energy expenditures in Tennessee school districts for 2002/03–2007/08 to see how much energy’s share of district spending rose and whether the increase disproportionately affected districts with certain characteristics. Prepared by Regional Educational Laboratory (REL) Appalachia, administered by CNA Education.

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May 1, 2009

This report by CNA's Military Advisory Board (MAB) explores the impact of America's energy choices on our national security policies. This report follows the MAB's groundbreaking 2007 report National Security and the Threat of Climate Change, which found that "climate change, national security, and energy dependence are a related set of global challenges." This new volume builds on that finding by considering: the security risks inherent in our current energy posture; energy choices the nation can make to enhance our national security; the impact of climate change on our energy choices and our national security; and the role the Department of Defense can play in the nation’s approach to energy security and climate change.

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April 1, 2007

In 2006 CNA convened a Military Advisory Board (MAB) of eleven retired three-star and four-star admirals and generals to assess the impact of global climate change on key matters of national security, and to lay the groundwork for mounting responses to the threats found. In April 2007, CNA released the MAB's landmark report, National Security and the Threat of Climate Change, that articulates the concept of climate change acting as a “threat multiplier” for instability in some of the most volatile regions of the world and identifies key challenges that must be planned for now if they are to be met effectively in the future.

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