A responsibility to prepare – strengthening national and homeland security in the face of a changing climate

Roadmap and recommendations for the U.S. government

This report outlines recommendations from the Climate and Security Advisory Group (CSAG) and emphasizes that the U.S. government should follow the advice of Defense Secretary James Mattis, who called for a “whole-of-government response” to climate change.

The report notes that given the threats of climate change identified by the defense, national security and intelligence communities, a rise in destructive climate-driven impacts on the U.S., and an increased capacity to foresee these risks, the U.S. government has a “Responsibility to Prepare” to address these challenges at home and abroad. Specifically, the group recommends that the Administration do so through three lines of effort:

• Assess climate change risks to national and homeland security: Maintain and improve systems and processes for better understanding and assessing climate change risks to national and homeland security.
• Prepare for climate change risks to national and homeland security: Bolster the resilience of critical military and civilian infrastructure to climate change risks, and better organize and resource the U.S. government to manage those risks.
• Support allied and partner nation resilience to climate change risks: Maintain U.S. leadership by supporting allied and partner nation resilience to climate change risks in strategically-significant regions, and by reducing climate drivers of instability.