In 'Threat Multiplier,' Sherri Goodman details the transformation of the US Department of Defense from an environmental laggard to a leader in clean energy and climate resilience. The book explains how climate change exacerbates every threat, from natural disasters to geopolitical competitions, and how military leaders are integrating climate considerations into war games, disaster relief planning, international diplomacy, and base design. Goodman, who coined the term 'threat multiplier,' provides insights into the military’s fight for global security in the face of climate change, highlighting the importance of climate readiness as mission readiness.
In *The Heat and the Fury*, Peter Schwartzstein takes readers on a riveting journey through regions affected by climate violence. He investigates how climate change ignites long-smoldering tensions, pushing individuals, communities, and nations towards lethal fury. The book delves into various case studies, including drought-fueled terrorism in Iraq, farmer-pirate conflicts in Bangladesh, and water disputes along the Nile. Schwartzstein's analysis of geopolitics, on-the-ground reporting, and understanding of human nature provide a comprehensive picture of the violence linked to climate change and its potential to heal old wounds through cooperation.
Sherri Goodman was the first Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Environmental Security and has worked on issues around climate change, the environment, and security for more than 35 years. She joined David Priess to discuss her work on the staff of the Senate Armed Service Committee starting in the 1980s, her impressions of Senator Sam Nunn, her duties as the first Deputy Under Secretary of Defense (Environmental Security), the campaign to clean up the Defense Department's nuclear-related facilities, her visits to Russia in the 1990s, the threat climate change poses to military facilities, the US military as an environmental crisis responder, how climate change and environmental concerns have changed military training, climate change as multiplier of opportunities as well as a multiplier of threats, and more.
Works mentioned in this episode:
Threat Multiplier by Sherri Goodman
Military Responses to Climate Hazards (MiRCH) Tracker, at the Center for Climate & Security
New Cold Wars by David Sanger with Mary Brooks
Orbital by Samantha Harvey
The Heat and the Fury by Peter Schwartzstein
Chatter is a production of Lawfare and Goat Rodeo. This episode was produced and edited by Cara Shillenn of Goat Rodeo. Podcast theme by David Priess, featuring music created using Groovepad.
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