Climate Change and the Concept of Environmental Security under the Obama administration

At an Ecologic Dinner Dialogue on 5 March 2009, Sherri Goodman spoke about the current developments in the concept of environmental security under the new Obama administration. Sherri Goodman - now chief counsel for the Center for Naval Analyses (CNA), a military think tank, served as Deputy under Secretary of Defense for Environmental Security under President Clinton. Sherri Goodman put a clear focus on the development of new and energy friendly technologies as well as on more energy efficiency in order to prevent international security threats.

In her opening remarks, Sherri Goodman summarized the emergence, retraction and comeback of the issue of Environmental Security in the US and expressed her hopes regarding the Obama administration’s attitude concerning environmental issues in the face of climate change. She considers actions on climate issues “a more natural act” for President Obama, and therefore sees that the current steps being taken could be the dawn of a new green energy revolution. However, the decision making process in the US will present a big challenge for the new administration in putting its ideas into practice.

While Sherri Goodman stated that the current government showed more willingness to adapt the regulatory framework, she also indicated that environmental issues in the US are best conveyed in the context of energy and technology issues. “Americans believe in technology and innovation” and are “just starting out” regarding investments in greater energy efficiency. In her opinion, energy efficiency would be “the fruit to pick for the next 5 years” while learning from Europe’s experience.  In this context, Sherri Goodman is hoping for the US to be a better international partner than it had been in the last 8 years. 

Current issues with immediate effects, like the financial crisis, are again taking away attention from environmental concerns and the readiness to act. This is why Sherri Goodman also sees value in having military leaders worldwide speak with a collective voice to raise the world’s attention to security threats due to climate change effects. Yet it could not be an only American task to initiate this.

Further links:

• CV Sherri Goodman [pdf, English, 69 KB]
• CNA report: “National Security and the Threat of Climate Change”
• Ecologic Project: What Price Energy Transformation?
• Ecologic Lecture: Climate Change as a Security Threat of the Next Generation for NATO
• Ecologic Lecture: Climate change USA? American Energy Policy under President Barack Obama
• Ecologic Lecture: Security Strategies and Environment
• RGIT Special Report: U.S. Climate and Energy Policy: An Overview, August 2008.
• Ecologic Lecture: European and American Approaches to Climate Change: Prospects for a Common Trans-Atlantic Agenda
• Ecologic Dinner Dialogue: New Threats Arising from Climate Change and Energy Scarcity – What Role for International Governance? – Jamie Shea and Helga Schmid
• Ecologic Dinner Dialogue: Trends in climate and energy policy in the United States - David Campbell
• Ecologic Dinner Dialogue: The New Environmental Awareness in the United States: Successful Climate Protection at the Grassroots – John Morrill
• Publication: Learning from Europe's Mistakes – Can the US catch up in climate protection?
• Publication: Energy Security – Re-measuring the world