President Joe Biden signed a sweeping executive order today that makes climate change a top US national security priority. He commissioned a “National Intelligence Estimate on the security implications of climate change.” He also directed the Department of Defense and other federal agencies to develop plans to adapt to a warming world.
The environmental and geopolitical risks from climate change are quickly evolving. We’ve already seen droughts exacerbate water and food scarcity, which can spark conflict. In the future, climate change could be deliberately “weaponized” in clashes over resources, according to Sherri Goodman, who served as deputy undersecretary of defense for environmental security from 1993 to 2001.
The Verge spoke with Goodman, who is now a senior fellow at the Wilson Center’s Environmental Change and Security Program and Polar Institute, just before Biden signed the executive order. She paints…