{"id":9563,"date":"2015-03-04T14:53:34","date_gmt":"2015-03-04T20:53:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/energyexchange\/?p=9563"},"modified":"2026-03-14T14:38:07","modified_gmt":"2026-03-14T18:38:07","slug":"military-experts-in-texas-call-for-plan-of-action-on-climate-change","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/energyexchange\/2015\/03\/04\/military-experts-in-texas-call-for-plan-of-action-on-climate-change\/","title":{"rendered":"Military Experts in Texas Call for Plan of Action on Climate Change"},"content":{"rendered":"

By: Marita Mirzatuny<\/a> and Kate Zerrenner<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

\"National
National Guard responding to flood emergencies.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

When the U.S. military calls<\/a> climate change a \u201cthreat multiplier\u201d and \u201ca serious threat to national security,\u201d it makes anyone stand up and pay attention. From direct land impacts and food and water shortages, to the displacement of millions of people, climate change is not taken lightly by our armed forces.<\/p>\n

Earlier this week, two military experts, Lt. Gen. Ken Eickmann (USAF, Ret.) and British Rear Admiral Neil Morisetti (Royal Navy, Ret.), testified at a Texas House International Trade & Intergovernmental Affairs Committee Hearing and later at an event<\/a> hosted by the Robert S. Strauss Center for International Security and Law and the British Consulate-General University at University of Texas’ LBJ School. As a senior research fellow at the University of Texas at Austin’s Energy Institute<\/a> and Former UK Foreign Secretary Special Representative for Climate Change, Eickmann and Morisetti, respectively, bring a level of trust and confidence to this issue, disarming the politics, if just for a moment, and replacing it with pragmatic duty.<\/p>\n

Eickmann and Morisetti\u2019s message was loud and clear: We need to diversify our energy options and shift more toward a clean energy economy. The potential for Texas is boundless<\/a>.<\/p>\n

[Tweet “Military experts in #Texas\u00a0call for plan of action on #climatechange @KateZerrenner”]<\/p>\n

As we have highlighted<\/a> before, the U.S. military has taken a commanding lead on climate action. By 2020, the U.S. Navy aims to be 40 percent powered by renewable energy and the Air Force fleet is already certified for alternative fuels. Our armed forces see how added tensions<\/a>, such as drought or floods, in countries that aren\u2019t able to handle this instability affect supply chains across the globe, creating conditions that enable terrorism and unrest. As the experts clarified at this week\u2019s events, the reality of a globalized world means climate change is a \u201cthreat multiplier,\u201d impacting all of our connected systems, including food, water, trade, and security.<\/p>\n

As a solution, Lt. Gen. Eickmann pinpointed Austin\u2019s own Pecan Street Inc.<\/a>, which manages the nation\u2019s largest residential energy research network, calling it the “community of the future.” Eickmann cited Pecan Street’s lessons in microgrid functionality and highlighted how, just like Pecan Street\u2019s home base Mueller neighborhood, a military base is<\/em> a community. The lessons from Pecan Street are applicable to, say, Fort Bliss or Fort Hood. If 21st<\/sup> century challenges require 21st<\/sup> century solutions, then the military can certainly see what the smart grid<\/a> is doing for American energy and apply it to bases around the world. And Eickmann confirmed: \u201cthe [Department of Defense] is watching, the whole world is watching” what is being accomplished in Austin.<\/p>\n

Compared to others in Texas<\/a> and elsewhere<\/a>, it is a relief to know that those who have sworn to keep us safe aren\u2019t playing partisan games with science. Instead, they are realistic and progressive in combating one of the most serious challenges of our time. As the Texas Legislative Session continues, two bills, both sponsored by Rep. Rafael Anchia<\/a> (D-Dallas), have arisen that would set Texas on a course toward greater resiliency and risk management.<\/p>\n