President Obama signs climate change memorandum

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September 21, 2016

On September 21, 2016, President Obama signed a memorandum addressing national security concerns posed by variations in Earth’s climate. The memorandum was released alongside a report authored by the National Intelligence Council (NIC), which specifies and goes into greater detail on the largest threats.

Specific topics in the documents include short- and long-term weather and climate anomalies ranging from rising temperatures to increases in natural hazards like flooding. The memorandum calls for the creation of a Federal Climate and National Security Working Group to bring together more than 20 federal agencies to identify future risks associated with climate change-induced hazards and to foster interagency communication and collaboration.

The NIC report projects that enforcement of effective environmental policies would help stabilize global surface temperatures in as soon as two decades.

Sources: Whitehouse.gov, Office of the Director of National Intelligence