What if I told you that the largest organization in the U.S. not only knows that our planet is warming, but is also taking action to convert its cars to biodiesel and add renewables to its facilities?

Well, it’s true. Just in time for 4th of July, ACE Educators were reminded of the military’s commitment to climate change when they went to the EPA office to hear former Colonel Mike Shanahan talk about all of the ways that the Department of Defense is being proactive on solutions to climate change.

Specifically, he mentioned that the military believes:

1) Climate change is real.
2) The causes and effects of climate change both have security implications.
3) Their solution is strategic and tactical planning.

Mr. Shanahan reiterated what we all know. Climate change will affect our military abroad and our homeland security here at home. His presentation also revealed some interesting twists.

First, with the dramatic melting of land and sea ice and the seasonal opening of the Bering Strait, the Arctic has become an important global issue having implications on transportation routes, mineral deposits, and territorial claims. The Arctic has become so important that even China, a country that is not even one of the 8 that boarders the arctic, feels that with one fifth of the worlds population, it is entitled to claim one fifth of the land and ocean there. Unfortunately, since the US is currently engaged in three other wars worldwide, the Arctic has been less of a priority.

Second, although most of the world’s energy currently comes from the Middle East, the US military feels they have the least amount of information about the impacts that climate change will have on that region.

Lastly, in a transportation sector that has long since felt biofuels would not be effective, the military is using biofuels for jet fuel. Initially, it was believed that the low atmospheric temperatures associated with airline travel would solidify biofuels. It seems the military has solved this problem.