The CO2 will always get through: Global climate change and U.S. national security

National security is the primary concern of every government, but anthropogenic climate change has not factored into U.S. national security planning. This dissertation will use a causal loop diagram to trace the pathways between the components of the independent variable of climate change (ambient air temperature, precipitation, sea level, and extreme weather events) through the intermediate variables to the dependent variable of U.S. national security. Each link is designated strong or weak, positive or negative, and the causal pathways from climate to security are then evaluated for robustness.;Chapter 1 discusses the literature of environmental security studies in order to frame climate change among other nontraditional security threats. Chapter 2 reviews the historical discovery of global warming and the basic science behind the phenomenon. The history of U.S. participation in the global climate change regime is reviewed, as well as the current political controversy surrounding the subject.;Chapter 3 examines those climate-generated threats that the United States can take unilateral action to mitigate: thawing of Arctic sea ice, the loss or impairment of standing military facilities, the possible proliferation of nuclear materials in pursuit of nuclear energy, and losses of food and water security. Chapter 4 examines those threats which will require the United States to work with other nations to mitigate: expanding disease vectors, and the generation of refugees.;Chapter 5 contains two major findings: that the United States military will face an increasing number of stability operations (operations other than war) in a globally-warmed world, and that their capabilities and readiness to meet these missions will be negatively affected. The foreign policy implications of both climate change and the current U.S. policy are discussed, and the dissertation concludes with some recommendations designed to attenuate the security risk from climate change.