Slow climate change

To the Journal editor:

Letter writer Carr Baldwin questions the threat posed by human-caused climate change. It’s important to note that this position stands in stark contrast to that of the U.S. Department of Defense.

A recent Pentagon report warns that sea level rise and wildfires threaten U.S. military bases. Moreover, in its 2014 Quadrennial Defense Review, the DOD warns: “As greenhouse gas emissions increase, sea levels are rising, average global temperatures are increasing, and severe weather patterns are accelerating. These changes, coupled with other global dynamics, … will devastate homes, land and infrastructure.”

The U.S. military has expressed concern about climate change since the George W. Bush Administration, and dozens of Defense Department documents on this issue can be accessed at climateandsecurity.org.

Moreover, in its report “Catastrophe Modelling and Climate Change,” Lloyd’s of London states that the 8 inches of sea-level rise off the tip of Manhattan increased Superstorm Sandy’s surge losses by 30 percent, and that “Further increases in sea level in this region may non-linearly increase the loss potential from similar storms.”

This document also asserts that there is conclusive evidence that climate change is human-caused.

It’s important to look to independent organizations like the insurance industry and the military when evaluating the threat posed by climate change. Because they depend on scientific evidence to assess risk, they are less amenable to politicized science.

Our common values like national security and concern for our children’s future should unify Americans on this issue. I’m heartened that the bi-partisan Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act was recently reintroduced in the House of Representatives. Let’s work together to find a path to slow climate change.

TERRY HANSEN

Hales Corners, Wis.