The Daily Beast reported this week that ‘A new report signed by former top military officers and national-security officials declares that climate change—and its symptoms—is putting U.S. military operations at risk. A statement Wednesday by the Washington-based Center for Climate and Security said, “There are few easy answers, but one thing is clear: The current trajectory of climatic change presents a strategically significant risk to U.S. national security, and inaction is not a viable option.”’  You can read their full story at https://www.thedailybeast.com/cheats/2016/09/14/climate-change-significant-and-direct-threat-to-u-s-military.html?via=desktop&source=copyurl.  The biggest issue comes from the Navy, which has most of its infrastructure resources on coastlines where rising sea levels provide a direct threat.  Reuters has a related article at https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-climatechange-idUSKCN11K0BC.

At the same time, Business Insider reported that Blackrock, the world’s largest asset manager, said that all investors need to factor climate change, and the investment needed to halt it, into their future risk-assessments.  You can read more about their reasons at https://www.businessinsider.com/blackrock-report-on-climate-change-and-finance-2016-9.

Of course, agricultural producers already take short-term climate into account when planning their planting and animal management, but longer-term planning for climate is often scarce.  Foresters, tree fruit farmers, and those interested in maintaining long-term farm viability as family operations are often the most interested in looking at longer-term changes.  However, farmers should also look at longer-term climate trends when planning for infrastructure needs like irrigation and shade structures and barns.

Source: National Park Service via Commons Wikimedia
Source: National Park Service via Commons Wikimedia