Report: Some U.S. Bases Not Prepared for Climate Change
2022-04-22
LRC
TXT
大字
小字
滚动
全页
1A recent report from the Inspector General of the Department of Defense says that United States military bases in the Arctic and Sub-Arctic are failing to prepare for long-term climate change.
2The report gives a rare bit of public information about the military's state of readiness for the worsening weather conditions that many expect from a warming Earth.
3The U.S. military long has recognized climate change as a threat to national security.
4That is in part because of the effect that floods, wildfires, extreme heat and other natural disasters are having and will have on U.S. bases and troops around the world.
5Increasing hurricanes, flooding, storms and wildfires in recent years have caused billions of dollars in damage to Florida's Tyndall Air Force Base, Nebraska's Offutt Air Force Base and other U.S. military bases.
6It also has interrupted training and other operations.
7For years, laws, presidential orders and Pentagon rules have required the military to plan and work so that its bases, warships, warplanes and troops can carry out their missions despite increasingly difficult weather conditions.
8President Joe Biden directed faster, larger action on climate change by the Department of Defense and other agencies as one of his first acts in office.
9Inspectors visiting the United States' six northernmost military bases last June and July found none were carrying out the required planning to prepare their bases and operations against long-term climate change.
10Further, the inspector general report said, "most installation leaders at the six installations we visited in the Arctic and sub-Arctic region were unfamiliar with military installation resilience planning requirements, processes, and tools."
11Resilience is a term that means the ability to adjust to change.
12Senior officers told the inspector general's inspection team that their operations lacked the training and funding to start the required work.
13Some saw requirements for that kind of long-term planning as making up a "wish list" that would go up against competing priorities, the officers told the inspectors.
14A Pentagon spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
15The inspector general report cited Defense officials as saying that the Biden administration has finished or is working on many of the report's recommendations.
16One of the bases is in Greenland and the other five are in Alaska:
17Thule Air Base, Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Clear Space Force Station, Eielson Air Force Base, Fort Wainwright and Fort Greely.
18The Arctic and sub-Arctic are important to the U.S. because of rising tensions and competition with Russia and China, and because rising temperatures are melting sea ice.
19The melting sea ice will, possibly, allow oil exploration and open shipping lanes.
20The inspectors found that the kind of problems linked with worsening climate change are already causing trouble at the U.S. bases.
21At Fort Wainwright in Alaska, increased wildfire risks in 2019 interrupted training for two Pacific Air Force groups known as squadrons, so that one was able to carry out only 59 percent of planned training for a period, the report said.
22Many of the exact discussions of climate risks at the six bases were blacked-out in the version of the report made public last week.
23But inspectors photographed and described some of the issues.
24These included cracked runways, damaged buildings and roads, and a collapsed rock barrier that had been piled up to hold back floodwater at Thule in Greenland.
25The report said of the base leaders, "They stated that their day-to-day focus was on reacting to immediate problems or reducing risk to existing hazards, rather than planning for future hazards."
26The Arctic is warming two to three times faster than the rest of the world.
27A March heat wave that increased Arctic temperatures 30 Celsius higher than normal surprised scientists.
28Of 79 U.S. military installations overall, the Department of Defense says two-thirds are at risk of worsening flooding conditions and half are vulnerable to increasing drought and wildfires.
29I'm John Russell.
1A recent report from the Inspector General of the Department of Defense says that United States military bases in the Arctic and Sub-Arctic are failing to prepare for long-term climate change. 2The report gives a rare bit of public information about the military's state of readiness for the worsening weather conditions that many expect from a warming Earth. 3The U.S. military long has recognized climate change as a threat to national security. That is in part because of the effect that floods, wildfires, extreme heat and other natural disasters are having and will have on U.S. bases and troops around the world. 4Increasing hurricanes, flooding, storms and wildfires in recent years have caused billions of dollars in damage to Florida's Tyndall Air Force Base, Nebraska's Offutt Air Force Base and other U.S. military bases. It also has interrupted training and other operations. 5For years, laws, presidential orders and Pentagon rules have required the military to plan and work so that its bases, warships, warplanes and troops can carry out their missions despite increasingly difficult weather conditions. 6President Joe Biden directed faster, larger action on climate change by the Department of Defense and other agencies as one of his first acts in office. 7Inspectors visiting the United States' six northernmost military bases last June and July found none were carrying out the required planning to prepare their bases and operations against long-term climate change. 8Further, the inspector general report said, "most installation leaders at the six installations we visited in the Arctic and sub-Arctic region were unfamiliar with military installation resilience planning requirements, processes, and tools." 9Resilience is a term that means the ability to adjust to change. 10Senior officers told the inspector general's inspection team that their operations lacked the training and funding to start the required work. Some saw requirements for that kind of long-term planning as making up a "wish list" that would go up against competing priorities, the officers told the inspectors. 11A Pentagon spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The inspector general report cited Defense officials as saying that the Biden administration has finished or is working on many of the report's recommendations. 12One of the bases is in Greenland and the other five are in Alaska: Thule Air Base, Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Clear Space Force Station, Eielson Air Force Base, Fort Wainwright and Fort Greely. 13The Arctic and sub-Arctic are important to the U.S. because of rising tensions and competition with Russia and China, and because rising temperatures are melting sea ice. The melting sea ice will, possibly, allow oil exploration and open shipping lanes. 14The inspectors found that the kind of problems linked with worsening climate change are already causing trouble at the U.S. bases. 15At Fort Wainwright in Alaska, increased wildfire risks in 2019 interrupted training for two Pacific Air Force groups known as squadrons, so that one was able to carry out only 59 percent of planned training for a period, the report said. 16Many of the exact discussions of climate risks at the six bases were blacked-out in the version of the report made public last week. 17But inspectors photographed and described some of the issues. These included cracked runways, damaged buildings and roads, and a collapsed rock barrier that had been piled up to hold back floodwater at Thule in Greenland. 18The report said of the base leaders, "They stated that their day-to-day focus was on reacting to immediate problems or reducing risk to existing hazards, rather than planning for future hazards." 19The Arctic is warming two to three times faster than the rest of the world. A March heat wave that increased Arctic temperatures 30 Celsius higher than normal surprised scientists. 20Of 79 U.S. military installations overall, the Department of Defense says two-thirds are at risk of worsening flooding conditions and half are vulnerable to increasing drought and wildfires. 21I'm John Russell. 22Ellen Knickmeyer reported on this story for the Associated Press. John Russell adapted it for Learning English. 23________________________________________________________________________ 24Words in This Story 25installation - n. a military camp, fort, or base 26priority - n. something deserving attention before competing alternatives 27version - n. a form or variant of a type or original 28focus - v. to concentrate attention or effort 29hazard - n. a source of danger