The same U.S. House committee that heard testimony from climate scientist James Hansen on June 23, the House Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming, held a joint hearing the following Wednesday with the Intelligence Community Management (ICM) Subcommittee to discuss the results of the first-ever U.S. Government analysis of the security threats posed by global warming.

 In his statement, National Intelligence Council Chairman Thomas Fingar said, “We judge climate change will have wide-ranging implications for U.S. national security interests over the next 20 years,” including security concerns arising from humanitarian crises overseas and stress on weak governments. The chairman explained that the security analysts used the findings of many climate research groups to prepare their report but did not evaluate the science of climate change.  

After detailing how regions around the globe might be affected, Fingar concluded that “most developed nations and countries with rapidly emerging economies are likely to fare better than those in the poorer, developing world, largely because of a greater coping capacity.” Among the events the United States might have to cope with, according to Fingar’s statement to the committee, are: “thawing in and around Alaska, water shortages in the Southwest, and storm surges on the East and Gulf Coasts . . . . wildfires throughout the longer summer…. and two dozen nuclear facilities and numerous refineries along U.S. coastlines are at risk and may be severely impacted by storms.”

 In other remarks at the hearing, Kent Hughes Butts, with the Army War College. saw hope for more cooperation as the world powers see their common interests in maintaining stability in unstable regions. But, he also noted the dangers in regions ravaged by the consequences of global warming:  “Scarcities of resources, lack of safe water, reduced agricultural capacity; widespread disease and poverty create underlying conditions that terrorists seek to exploit.” The House Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming was formed to increase the visibility and priority given to America’s oil dependence and global warming challenges. It is chaired by Rep. Edward J. Markey (D-MA).