Obama: Make Climate Change a National Security Issue

President Barack Obama has asked all federal departments and agencies to consider the impact of climate change on national security.

"Climate change poses a significant and growing threat to national security, both at home and abroad," Obama wrote in a memo to department heads obtained by CNS News.

The threats include flooding, drought, heat waves, intense precipitation, pest outbreaks, disease, and electricity problems – and all of those can "affect economic prosperity, public health and safety, and international stability," the commander-in-chief wrote.

CNS News' Susan Jones also reported Obama believes climate change issues could negatively affect military readiness and military facilities and training.

It could also increase demands for federal support to civil defense authorities, the president wrote.

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