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From the US to the Netherlands, military leaders are speaking up on climate change
(The Independent, 20 Mar 2019) 'We see climate change as a security threat, and it’s an important threat'.
When Tom Middendorp – then the highest ranking military official in the Dutch armed forces – declared climate change a threat to the world’s security in 2016, he was mocked in the press and among colleagues.
“The first reaction was very fierce,” the retired general said on Wednesday at a conference on climate change in The Hague. “They started calling me the ‘green general’.”
He took it as a compliment. Less than three years later, the security threats posed by climate change are no longer fringe notions.
This week, Mr Middendorp launched a global network of senior military leaders to drive policy on the security implications of climate change.
The International Military Council on Climate and Security, chaired by Mr Middendorp, includes former US Deputy Undersecretary of Defence Sherri Goodman, former US Navy Captain Steve Brock, former Royal Netherlands Army officer Michel Rademaker, and several researchers affiliated with US and European think tanks.
The Independent, 20 Mar 2019: From the US to the Netherlands, military leaders are speaking up on climate change
