National Security Poll Results: From 37 states to Switzerland

Does 🍃 natural security = national security?

In this interview, Andrew Zolli, Chief Impact Officer at Planet, a space and AI organization, says that our interconnected world faces unprecedented stresses on nature and that these stresses have profound implications for our daily lives, including issues related to climate change, natural disasters and their impact on national and global security.

Look at the Global risks map below. Start with the green dots on the right and follow their interconnected paths.

Mary Anna Mancuso, republicEn spokesperson, and EcoRight Leadership Council member, recently published this compelling piece on global water scarcity, global security, and climate change in The Hill.

Once again, I’ll ask, does 🍃 natural security = national security? We reached out to the EcoRight community to find out.

Here is what we found:

Robert B. in Colorado shares, “All primary wealth comes from natural resources. Climate change is a major symptom of our world reaching planetary boundaries. We as a society will either find a place as part of nature, or we will suffer extraordinary negative consequences. “

Tracey C. in Ohio writes, “I think that climate change will have a huge impact on national security, especially with climate migration. Almost all the freshwater in the world is concentrated in just a few countries. If we don’t find a way to more wisely manage water in places where it is scarce (and work harder to make sure what we have stays uncontaminated), it only makes sense that we will fight over access to this water. Mexico City has so poorly managed its water infrastructure that they are sinking into the ground from its depleted aquafer. Where will those 8 million people go if there is no water left? “

Cameron C. in Kansas shares, “I work at the intersection of Climate and National Security doing policy for the Air Force. Climate change is top of mind for mission assurance professionals.”

Poll answers represent republicEn members across 37 states (including both Alaska and Hawaii!). Plus, we’re becoming quite the globe trotters. This poll received input from people in Switzerland, Scotland, and South Africa.  Florida submitted the most responses, with California coming in second. The political leaning of poll takers: 42% lean right, 35% claim center, 20% lean left, and 3% are unsure or prefer not to say.

We always receive tons of comments, and reading them is one of my favorite parts of my job. Here are more shared thoughts and opinions from our members:

 

• “If the nation prioritizes environmental protection over everything else, our panic and haste could cause significant harm. We need to move forward carefully, balancing the complex web of environmental, economic and social interactions, rather than taking the approach that ‘environment is everything and we have to fix it today’.” – Kit A. in Washington

• “The fossil fuel guys should not get any subsidies or tax breaks.” – Paul H. in Idaho
  

• “An estimated 1 billion people live in nations that are ill-equipped to meet the environmental challenges of climate change. If you think several thousand people banging on our door on our southern border every day is a problem, you ain’t seen nothing yet. ” – William J. in California

• “Nations’ security (around the world) is being impacted by human-caused environmental degradation of all varieties, and that degradation is increasing substantially due to the increasing number of humans that are aggressively pursuing modern conveniences and higher standards of living. It seems to me that modern technology along with modern warfare is also creating more security issues– all around the world.” – Dina L. in Illinois

• “I believe in science, truth, justice and the need for government to lead civilization to solve global environmental problems.” – Jeff R. in California

• “Our government needs to stop using national security as an excuse to double down on fossil fuel extraction and development of false solutions (e.g. hydrogen fuel made from methane). The major, long-term threat we are facing as a global society is climate change, and continued reliance on fossil fuels only continues to make that situation worse. ” – Alison S. in Pennsylvania

• • “National security is soooooo far from my thinking. We need to completely de-center the human from the equation, let alone the nation. Our future will be so affected by climate, and this has to do with all of humanity. Therefore, we need supra-national bodies to deal with the effects of climate change. However, I strongly agree that national governments need to prioritise fighting climate change, just not because of the security implications ” – Felix W. in Scotland