![]() Furthermore, Arctic sea ice has shrunk by 75 percent since the 1980s, according to a recent analysis, with ice-free summers in the Arctic Ocean “very likely” by midcentury. ![]() The region-which encompasses 17 percent of the globe and is almost one and a half times the size of the United States-is warming two times faster than any other region on Earth. Nowhere are the impacts of climate change more evident and staggering than in the Arctic. Together, these leaders must also develop a plan and secure the resources to expand America’s oil-spill and other disaster-response capabilities in the Arctic, including our icebreaker fleet, navigation and communication satellites, ports, and other infrastructure needed to support emergency preparedness and response. Improving our understanding of the local and global effects of a warming Arctic must be among their top priorities. Department of Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, and other agencies to build on the 2013 White House National Strategy for the Arctic Region and the Department of Defense 2013 Arctic Strategy. To ensure peace and safety in the region, Secretary Kerry must work closely with President Barack Obama, U.S. American capabilities to deal with these challenges lag far behind those of other Arctic nations. As part of this agenda, Secretary Kerry should seek to conserve invaluable Arctic marine and coastal environments and promote sustainable Arctic development that will boost the resilience and prosperity of Arctic communities.Īs the Arctic becomes more accessible and competition for resources and territory accelerates, the risk of oil spills and other catastrophic accidents, territorial disputes, and security challenges will rise. In this role, he can drive an ambitious agenda focused on putting the brakes on climate change by cutting black carbon and methane emissions and promoting renewable energy use. Secretary Kerry has an immediate opportunity to implement his new climate change Policy Guidance as he begins setting priorities now for his upcoming leadership position as the 2015–2017 Arctic Council Chair. These effects are threat multipliers that will aggravate stressors abroad such as poverty, environmental degradation, political instability, and social tensions – conditions that can enable terrorist activity and other forms of violence. The pressures caused by climate change will influence resource competition while placing additional burdens on economies, societies, and governance institutions around the world. Department of Defense’s 2014 Quadrennial Defense Review: In his first Policy Guidance as secretary of state, Kerry directed ambassadors to lock in a new global climate treaty by 2015, expand multilateral and bilateral climate change partnerships, and mobilize resources to promote clean energy, halt deforestation, and increase community resilience. ![]() More recently, on March 7, Secretary Kerry called on diplomats around the world to make tackling climate change a top priority. legislation to limit carbon pollution and strong international climate action. Senate, where he was an outspoken advocate of U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry came to this same conclusion well before the AAAS report release, dating back to his days in the U.S. Normally shy in policy debates, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, or AAAS, released a new report warning Americans that “We are at risk of pushing our climate system toward abrupt, unpredictable, and potentially irreversible changes with highly damaging impacts.” In addition to putting policymakers and the public on sharp notice of the consequences of climate change, the report makes clear that “the sooner we act, the lower the risk and cost. ![]() Secretary of State John Kerry, Arctic Council Ministerial Session, Kiruna, Sweden, May 15, 2013 ![]() Is one of the most obvious shared challenges on the face of the planet today … Today, as Secretary of State, I come here keenly aware that the long list of challenges-acidification, pollution, ice melt, rising sea levels, disappearing species, and indiscriminate development practices-all of these carry even more challenges downstream, so to speak, to each of our economies, to our national security, and to international stability. ![]()
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