Retired Generals Call on Military, Citizens to Step Up to Climate Challenge

Twelve retired admirals and generals who made the national security case for clean energy yesterday put two other important messages in their report.

First, the U.S. military must do its part to help the nation shift away from fossil fuels. The uncertainty of fossil energy supplies and costs, the difficulties of providing fuel to the battlefront and the destabilizing influence of global warming are threats to military effectiveness.

The retired officers recommend that the Department of Defense become a “technological innovator, early adopter and test bed” for the clean energy future. They conclude that the military must pay attention to its “carbon bootprint”, and energy consumption at military installations must be transformed with “aggressive pursuit” of efficiency, smart grids and electric vehicles.

Those goals have big consequences for the entire energy marketplace. The Department of Defense is the biggest energy consumer in the U.S. government, which is the biggest single energy consumer in the world.

The second message was an unusual personal appeal to the American people to get directly involved in protecting the nation from harm. The report opens with “A Direct Appeal” that reads in part:

National security is not solely the responsibility of our military. American civilians know this and have always shown the capacity and willingness to participate in meaningful efforts to help our country in times of need.

In World War II, a concerted effort helped civilians understand their role. Recycling rubber and metal scraps preserved key materials for an industrial buildup. Growing food locally in Victory Gardens meant industrial food production facilities could focus on food shipments to soldiers overseas; it also saved the fuel used for domestic transport of canned fruits and vegetables. Conserving fuel at home left more of it for our troops. These steps could be described as sacrifices, frugality, lifestyle changes— the wording depends on the era and one’s perspective.

Whatever the terminology, these actions made the totality of America’s war effort more successful. They shortened the war and saved lives.

Today, all Americans can help us meet our emerging security challenges. Each of us can help make our country more energy efficient. Using less electricity in our homes and offices reduces stress on a fragile electrical grid; it also reduces carbon emissions. Supporting efforts to rebuild our electrical grid can make us less vulnerable to domestic attacks, and can allow us to develop a rich diversity of non-carbon energy sources.

Each of us can help end America’s addiction to oil. Using less fuel in our cars and trucks reduces overall demand, and helps us meet the President’s goal of eliminating foreign oil imports; it also reduces carbon emissions. We can support efforts to electrify personal transport, with liquid fuels used primarily for aircraft and the military.

These steps, taken individually, may seem small. Collectively, they can make us more secure. Americans made clear sacrifices during World War II for reasons that are obvious in hindsight: they understood the stakes, and they were asked. With this report, we have tried to make known the current stakes by clearly articulating the need to establish energy security and plan for the effects of climate change. This will require a commitment to conservation and a willingness to reconsider old ways. It will require discipline and the broadest participation possible. All of us have a role to play in making our nation more secure.

Given this message, it was something of a synchronicity that in the days just before the officers issued this appeal, Al Gore called his army to Nashville to issue new marching orders. Last week, Gore hosted a “North American Summit” to launch a grassroots mobilization campaign in support of bold congressional and local action on climate change and clean energy.