The Pentagon Sounds The Alarm on Global Warming

By Arianna Huffington Ariannaonline
Published on March 1, 2004

Once-peaceful nations go nuclear to fight over precious drinking
water, which has nearly evaporated as a new ice age subjects a
majority of the world’s population to mega-droughts and famine.
Sound like a trailer for the upcoming Dennis Quaid doomsday movie,
The Day After Tomorrow? Actually this real-life situation
could threaten the human race, and by extension, U.S. national
security, within the next decade if global warming rears its ugly
head, writes Arianna
Huffington
, whose scathing criticism of the Bush administration
hits home; she once identified herself with ‘compassionate
conservatives.’

This Armageddon scenario is nothing new to environmental
activists, scientists and most European nations, but the imminent
dangers of climate change seem to have hit home with some unlikely
characters in Washington. The Pentagon recently released a
frightening
report
on the effects global warming could have on global
security, sooner rather than later, and all but condemned the Bush
administration for ignoring the problem. The report was suppressed
for four months before several newspapers, including the
Observer in the UK, finally got their hands on it.
Meanwhile, 60 prominent scientists — including 20 Nobel laureates
and former advisers to both Republican and Democratic
administrations — released a
scathing
letter
two weeks ago, accusing the Bush administration of
‘manipulating and censoring science for political purposes.’

Huffington believes that this report could be the key to the
White House for whoever wins the Democratic nomination — ‘if,’ as
she puts it, ‘he’s smart enough to use it.’ John Kerry has long
campaigned to cut down on greenhouse gases by raising fuel
efficiency standards for cars and trucks, and he could convincingly
argue that he takes preparedness seriously. Huffington recalls
Americans’ shock and surprise at the 9/11 terrorist attacks. ‘Well,
let there be no surprise this time. We have all been warned.’
Jacob Wheeler

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Pentagon Sounds The Alarm on Global Warming

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