ABSTRACT

Climate change has already wrought economic and physical havoc on US military bases. In Hampton Roads, an area of Virginia described by some as the greatest concentration of military might in the world, rising sea levels and worsening storms threaten basic operations. Elsewhere wildfires and melting permafrost limit the types of operations the military can conduct, all of which affect its ability to respond to conflicts and humanitarian disasters. While the military has commissioned studies and funded resilience efforts, climate change impacts continue to grow more serious and more difficult to address.