Executive order 13653, “…enhance climate preparedness and resilience.”

Why?

Paraphrased from Michael T. Klare in “All Hell Breaking Loose” he states, “Natural disasters create the greatest harm by decimating the vital systems upon which our communal life depends. When those systems fail, chaos, and conflict ensue. Mitigate natural disaster consequences is an urgent global priority.”

Natural disasters weaken our allies. For example, Saudi Arabia, being incredibly dry, relies heavily on underground aquifers, which are at risk of depletion. And although they purify salt water it’s an expensive and energy intensive process so they often “land grab” from neighboring countries relying on them to produce food. This impending problem has disastrous implications for the people of Saudi Arabia and as the worlds largest producer of petroleum has a far reaching impact.

Natural disasters threaten the Caribbean Islands and central America with rising sea levels, flooding land, and increasingly warm weather being conducive to deadly hurricanes.

The melting of the arctic is creating a risk with another side of our content exposed. And with China starting to drill in the arctic and build a “Polar Silk Road” there are obviously numerous risks to assess.

The Himalayas have been relied upon to provide clean water. Yet, as these glaciers melt, water availability is set to become more uneven throughout the region in the upcoming years.

We are see increasingly severe weather patterns and sea levels rise. The question is, what is at the root causing these severe weather patterns and what can we do about it?

Photo by Maksym Sirman on Unsplash.