EDITOR:
The EPA’s public affairs office issued a set of talking points for its employees emphasizing the uncertainty of climate science.
Regarding uncertainty, the Military Advisory Board, composed of 16 retired U.S. admirals and generals, issued a 2014 report titled, “National Security and the Accelerating Risks of Climate Change.” In this document, General Gordon Sullivan, former Army Chief of Staff, notes: “Speaking as a soldier, we never have 100 percent certainty. If you wait until you have 100 percent certainty, something bad is going to happen on the battlefield.”
This MAB report expresses concern about the effects of prolonged drought, more intense storms and sea level rise on food shortages, population dislocation and global conflict. The report concludes: “The national security risks of projected climate change are as serious as any challenges we have faced.”
Jerry Taylor, President of the libertarian Niskanen Center, explains that, even if they are low-probability events, climate action is necessary in order to hedge against such extreme outcomes. Taylor asserts that we must account for the entire range of possibilities with climate risks, just as we build a balanced investment portfolio to hedge against financial risks.
That’s why he criticizes conservatives who take a business as usual approach to climate change. According to Taylor, “We don’t call people conservative when they put all of their chips on one number of a roulette wheel.”
Without question, uncertainty is not a valid reason to forestall climate action.
EPA accused of urging staff to downplay climate change after memo leaks
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/mar/29/epa-climate-change-memo-downplay-scientists
— Terry Hansen, via letters@SentinelColorado.com