Bringing the defence force into Australia’s climate-change fight

PETER LAYTON |

It’s time to structure the Australian Defence Force for this long, hot century. That doesn’t mean making it better suited to engaging in offshore climate-change-related activities, as the 2016 defence white paper discusses. Instead, it’s about considering changes to the ADF to better address domestic climate-change-related events.

While that work may seem to be included in the traditional role of providing military aid to the civil power, the unique nature of global warming calls for a defence strategy rethink. The strategic review Defence has just embarked on is a good place to start this process.

Defence’s core business is defending against external threats. Global warming is 99% an externally generated threat (less Australia’s 1% ‘enemy within’ contribution). Half the world’s carbon emissions are from three countries: China (29%), the United States (16%) and India (7%).

Please click here to read the full “Bringing the defence force into Australia’s climate-change fight” published at The Strategist, written by Griffith Asia Institute Visiting Fellow, Dr Peter Layton.