The Age of Consequences Page #7

IS MAGNIFIED BY THE FAC THAT AT THE END

OF A CHAIN OF ESCALATION,

YOU MIGHT ARRIVE AT COUNTRIES

THAT HAVE WEAPONS

OF MASS DESTRUCTION.

[BREEN]

OUR ENTIRE WAY OF LIFE

IS BASED ON FOSSIL FUELS.

EVERYTHING THAT YOU USE

AND TOUCH IN YOUR DAILY LIFE

IN THIS:

HIGHLY-ADVANCED ECONOMY

IS MOVED TO YOU:

USING THAT SINGLE SOURCE.

THERE'S ABSOLUTELY A LINK

BETWEEN THE WAY WE USE ENERGY

AND OUR SECURITY.

OIL IS A GLOBALLY-TRADED

COMMODITY.

EVENTS AROUND THE WORLD

IMPACT THE SUPPLY

AND THE PRICE HERE AT HOME.

WHEN GEO-POLITICAL

DECISIONS ARE MADE,

THE PRICE CAN GO DOWN,

THE PRICE CAN GO UP.

MANY OF OUR RELATIONSHIPS

WITH AUTOCRACIES

HAVE BEEN BASED IN PAR ON ASSURING THE SUPPLY

OF FOSSIL FUELS.

WE SPEND A TREMENDOUS

AMOUNT OF TIME:

KEEPING THA GLOBAL SUPPLY FLOWING,

PROTECTING IT.

[REPORTER]

THE THREATS:

ARE BEING RAMPED UP

OVER A VITAL:

OIL SHIPPING ROUTE

WHICH IRAN:

IS THREATENING TO BLOCK.

[REPORTER]

THE STRAIT OF HORMUZ

LINKS THE OIL-PRODUCING STATES

OF BAHRAIN, KUWAIT,

QATAR, SAUDI ARABIA,

AND THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES.

THAT'S ABOUT 40% OF THE WORLD'S

OIL THAT'S SHIPPED.

IT'S A MAJOR ARTERY.

WE SPEND $85 BILLION A YEAR

DEFENDING STRATEGIC

CHOKE POINTS,

PLACES LIKE THE STRAITS

OF HARMUZ NEAR IRAN

OR THE STRAITS OF MALACCA

IN THE HEAVILY-CONTESTED

SOUTH CHINA SEA.

REAL DISRUPTION WOULD HAVE

CATASTROPHIC CONSEQUENCES

FOR OUR ECONOMY.

ENERGY AND NATURAL RESOURCES

CREATES THE ARENA FOR CONFLIC AND DEFINING WHAT THE PLAYING

FIELD WILL LOOK LIKE.

CLIMATE CHANGE:

IS IN THAT MIX OF CAUSES.

IN SOME CASES,

IT'S CHANGING THE MAP ITSELF.

[REPORTER]

MELTING ICE CAPS IN THE ARCTIC

HAVE IGNITED:

A MILITARY BUILDUP.

THE ARCTIC CIRCLE

IS BELIEVED TO CONTAIN 30%

OF THE WORLD'S

UNDISCOVERED NATURAL GAS

AND 15% OF ITS OIL.

AS THE ICE MELTS,

IT OPENS UP RESOURCES.

IT OPENS UP TRADE ROUTES.

IT OPENS UP LAND CLAIMS

THAT COULD BECOME

MORE CONTENTIOUS.

[REPORTER]

RUSSIA IS MAKING

A VERY BOLD MOVE,

PLANTING ITS FLAG

ON THE ARCTIC SEA FLOOR.

[REPORTER]

RUSSIA IS HOLDING

MILITARY EXERCISES

INVOLVING TENS:

OF THOUSANDS OF TROOPS.

[REPORTER]

IT'S DISPUTED TERRITORY WITH

THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA.

[REPORTER]

MANY FEAR A 21st-CENTURY

COLD WAR IN THE FROZEN WATERS.

[MAN]

I'M HONORED TO WELCOME THREE

FORMER SECRETARIES OF STATE.

[GEORGE SCHULTZ]

WE'VE STARTED A PROJEC ON THE ARCTIC.

THERE'S A NEW OCEAN

BEING CREATED THERE.

THAT HASN'T HAPPENED

SINCE THE LAST ICE AGE.

THERE ARE BIG MELTS ALL OVER

THE WORLD TAKING PLACE.

THE CLIMATE'S CHANGING.

AND THERE ARE CONSEQUENCES.

[BREEN]

IF YOU SAY THERE'S NO CONNECTION

BETWEEN SECURITY AND CLIMATE,

OR BETWEEN OIL:

AND OUR NATIONAL SECURITY,

IF YOU SERVED:

IN THESE CONFLICTS,

IF YOU FOUGHT A WAR

IN THE MIDDLE EAST,

IF YOU FOUGH IN A BURNING OIL FIELD,

YOU MIGH HAVE A DIFFERENT VIEW.

[MAN ON RADIO]

CONVOY BE ADVISED,

BORDER PATROL VEHICLE

ON THE LEFT-HAND SIDE.

MY FIRST DEPLOYMENT,

I WAS A YOUNG LIEUTENAN WITH AN INFANTRY UNIT IN IRAQ

SOUTH OF BAGHDAD

IN AN AREA THAT WAS SATURATED

WITH IMPROVISED:

EXPLOSIVE DEVICES.

IT CAME TO BE KNOWN

AS THE TRIANGLE OF DEATH.

THAT AMERICAN MILITARY UNI ON THE GROUND

IN IRAQ OR AFGHANISTAN

HAS GOT TO RELY:

ON A FUEL SUPPLY

THAT COMES A GREAT DISTANCE

AT RISK AND COS TO REACH THEM.

EVERY DAY,

A LOGISTICS CONVOY

WOULD HAVE TO LEAVE

BAGHDAD AIRPOR AND DRIVE TO OUR

FORWARD OPERATING BASE.

WE WERE TAKING THE FUEL FROM

THE PREVIOUS DAY'S DELIVERY,

PUTTING IT IN A BUNCH

OF BRADLEY FIGHTING VEHICLES,

GOING OUT TO ESCORT THE CONVOY

IN WITH THAT FUEL,

USING A LOT OF THE FUEL,

AND THEN PUTTING

THE NEXT DAY'S FUEL

RIGHT IN THE BRADLEYS

TO DO ALL OVER AGAIN.

WE TOOK THIS HIGHLY

CAPABLE COMBAT FORCE

AND TURNED IT INTO, BASICALLY,

A SELF-LICKING ICE CREAM CONE.

[MAN ON RADIO]

...IS HIT.

...IS DOWN.

[BREEN]

ALMOST EVERY DAY,

THAT CONVOY WAS ATTACKED.

[MAN]

NEXT, WE'RE GOING TO HEAR

FROM MR. MICHAEL BREEN,

WHO IS THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

OF THE TRUMAN:

NATIONAL SECURITY PROJECT.

-WELCOME, SIR.

-THANK YOU, MR. CHAIRMAN.

CHAIRMAN MARQUIS,

RANKING MEMBER BRASSO,

THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY

TO TESTIFY TODAY.

ALTHOUGH WE FIND OURSELVES

IN A CONSIDERABLY

BETTER POSITION:

WITH REGARD TO ENERGY

THAN THAT OF SEVERAL YEARS AGO,

THE LACK OF DIVERSIFIED

ENERGY SOURCES AROUND THE WORLD

CONTINUES TO CREATE

VULNERABILITIES:

FOR THE UNITED STATES

AND OUR ALLIES.

IN ADDITION,

CLIMATE CHANGE MAKES OUR CURREN ENERGY SYSTEM UNSUSTAINABLE,

CREATING CASCADING RISKS

AND IMPACTS AROUND THE GLOBE.

THE U.S. SHOULD PLACE

GREATER EMPHASIS

ON EFFICIENCY ALONG

WITH THE DEVELOPMEN OF RENEWABLE SOURCES,

AND MORE RESILIEN DISTRIBUTED ENERGY SYSTEMS.

THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

IS ONE OF THE LARGES CUSTOMERS IN THE WORLD,

SO WHEN THE DEPARTMEN INVESTS IN TECHNOLOGIES

THAT ARE STILL VERY IMMATURE,

THEY'RE TAKING

A VERY LONG VIEW

OF WHAT THEY'RE GOING TO NEED

IN THE FUTURE.

THOSE LONG-TERM INVESTMENTS

DO HAVE A GREAT BENEFI OFTEN FOR

THE CIVILIAN ECONOMY.

IF THE MILITARY HAD SETTLED

ON COMPASS TECHNOLOGY

AS THE PERFECT ANSWER

TO NAVIGATION,

WE NEVER WOULD HAVE HAD GPS.

SO TO STAY AHEAD OF THE CURVE,

WE HAVE TO KEEP INVESTING.

[RAY MABUS]

AND ONE OF THE THINGS

I GET ASKED IN HEARINGS

DEFENDING THE BUDGET IS,

"IS THIS THE RIGHT TIME

TO BE INVESTING IN STUFF

LIKE ALTERNATIVE ENERGY?"

AND MY RESPONSE IS,

"WE CAN'T AFFORD NOT TO NOW."

[REPORTER]

SECRETARY OF THE NAVY

RAY MABUS TOOK PAR IN SIGNING A CONTRAC FOR THE LARGEST BIOFUEL

PURCHASE IN GOVERNMENT HISTORY.

[REPORTER]

IN THE NEXT TEN YEARS,

THE AIR FORCE ACADEMY

PLANS TO GENERATE

ALL OF THEIR OWN ELECTRICITY

THROUGH RENEWABLE SOURCES.

[BREEN]

I'M ENCOURAGED THAT THE MILITARY

IS CONTINUING TO CONTRIBUTE

TO THE DEVELOPMEN OF NEW TECHNOLOGIES,

BUT I DON'T THINK WE CAN

BE COMPLACENT ABOUT THIS.

OUR MILITARY IN THE U.S.,

EVERY MILITARY,

IS ULTIMATELY IN THE BUSINESS

OF PREVENTING, HOPEFULLY,

OR PROSECUTING AND WINNING WARS,

AND WAR IS A DESTRUCTIVE

HUMAN ACTIVITY.

MILITARIES ARE NO GONNA SOLVE THIS FOR US.

AN ARMORED DIVISION IS NO GONNA DEFEAT CLIMATE CHANGE.

[BURKE]

YOU DON'T WANNA TURN

TO YOUR MILITARY

TO SOLVE WHAT ARE REALLY

CIVIL SOCIETY PROBLEMS.

THAT'S A DANGEROUS GAME.

THEY DO NEED TO UNDERSTAND

HOW IT ALL FITS TOGETHER,

BECAUSE THAT'S GONNA AFFEC WHAT THEY NEED TO BE READY FOR,

BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN

IT'S THEIR MISSION TO FIX IT.

[FEMIA]

WHAT KEEPS ME UP AT NIGH IS THE POSSIBILITY

THAT WE'LL HAVE A WORLD

WHERE THE RISKS ASSOCIATED

WITH CLIMATE CHANGE

ARE SO DIRE AND SO

POTENTIALLY UNMANAGEABLE

THAT GOVERNMENTS

START ACTING IN WAYS

THAT ARE AUTHORITARIAN.

THAT'S A WORLD

THAT I DON'T WANNA LIVE IN.

THAT'S A WORLD I DON'T WAN MY CHILDREN TO LIVE IN.

AND IT'S A WORLD

THAT WE SEE IN THESE SCENARIOS

THAT THE UNITED STATES

MILITARY PRODUCES.

[RONALD REAGAN]

WE'RE AT WAR WITH THE MOS DANGEROUS ENEMY

THAT HAS EVER FACED MANKIND

IN HIS LONG CLIMB

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