Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel recently spoke of the major challenges facing America’s military resulting from climate change. Among the challenges the armed forces may face is rising sea levels that could put Navy docks and other installations under water in places like Norfolk, Va., Honolulu, and other coastal locations.
The Pentagon has been working for years to reduce the military's carbon footprint by using alternative fuels and more stringent energy-efficiency construction standards. Despite these efforts, the military was responsible for 71% of the federal government's carbon footprint in 2010. A federal greenhouse gas report said that more than 60% of the Pentagon's carbon footprint cannot be reduced easily.
A newly released Defense Department report identifies four things that will affect the U.S. military due to climate change: rising global temperatures, changing precipitation patterns, more extreme weather, and rising sea levels. It calls on the department and the military to identify specific concerns, including possible effects on the more than 7,000 bases and facilities worldwide, and to start putting plans in place to deal with them.
(http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/10/13/climate-change-military_n_5975734.html)
Related Stories
| Jul 17, 2013
WorldGBC, IFC pledge to rapidly scale up green construction in emerging markets
IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, and the World Green Building Council (WorldGBC) are collaborating to rapidly scale up the construction of green buildings in emerging markets.
| Jul 17, 2013
Louisiana governor signs $250 million bill for 29 community college projects
Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal signed into law this month a bill that provides $251.6 million for 29 projects at Louisiana Community and Technical College campuses.
| Jul 17, 2013
U.S. House continues to block enforcement of light bulb standards
The House of Representatives last week voted to block the enforcement of light bulb standards that many say would effectively force people to buy more expensive compact fluorescent bulbs.
| Jul 17, 2013
Should city parking space requirements be abolished?
Some cities are deliberately discouraging construction of new parking spaces by allowing the construction of buildings with a lower ratio of parking spaces to dwellings (as low as 0.75 spaces per residence).
| Jul 17, 2013
EPA continues work on new federal stormwater regulations that are expected to impact development
The Environmental Protection Agency continues to develop new stormwater regulations that are expected to force project developers to write stormwater considerations into designs.
| Jul 11, 2013
DOE releases stricter energy efficiency standards for new federal buildings taking effect in 2014
The Energy Department released stricter energy efficiency standards this month for new federal buildings.
| Jul 11, 2013
Pennsylvania legislators work on bill to update demolition codes following fatal building collapse
Pennsylvania lawmakers are working on a bill to update demolition codes, in the wake of a fatal building collapse in Philadelphia in June.
| Jul 11, 2013
Lawsuit challenges modular apartment project in New York City
A plan to build pre-fab apartment buildings at Atlantic Yards in Brooklyn, N.Y., has been challenged by a lawsuit filed by the Plumbing Foundation in Manhattan Supreme Court.
| Jul 5, 2013
OSHA to launch program to protect workers from isocyanate exposure
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has announced a new national emphasis program (NEP) to protect workers from serious health effects caused by occupational exposure to isocyanates.
| Jul 5, 2013
New California building code expected to boost energy demand response technology
The California master building code, set to go into effect on Jan. 1, 2014, includes a few changes that could push automated, open-standards-based demand response into the mass market.
