The military services can’t afford an ideological interpretation of climate change data. It has to be prepared for whatever comes our way, such as a very different Arctic environment including ice-free shipping lanes.
My collaborator on Dr. Fred’s Weather Watch, Prof. J. Marshall Shepherd of the University of Georgia, recently contributed to an important report from the National Research Council to the U.S. Navy, which is described in this article in New Scientist.
Marshall comments on his Facebook page that the report spanned the Bush and Obama administrations. He writes, “It was an honor to serve our nation on this panel that wrote the report, but more importantly, the more conservative arm is a strong supporter of defense (and DOD has been paying attention for some time and has no agenda except protecting US citizens and interests).”
In other words, when it comes to defending our country, not even the right wing ideologues deny the scientific projections of climate change.
For those interested in how I handle climate change for young readers, have a look at my climate modeling chapter in Seven Wonders of Exploration Technology.