Listen to military and address climate change

I'm glad that the Daily Herald is drawing attention to the national security risks of climate change with its Sept. 6 article titled "Climate is new driver of global conflict."

However, we don't need to look as far away as Africa or Iraq to see these impacts. They're much closer to home.

The U.S. Department of Defense refers to climate change as a "threat multiplier" worldwide as sea levels rise, water scarcity and food shortages are layered on top of pre-existing economic and social tensions. Over half of DoD installations have reported vulnerabilities to climate change. To the north, the melting of the Arctic Ocean is opening up new space for competition with China and Russia. To our south, climate migration is predicted to be a stressor. The World Bank predicts that by 2050, over 17 million migrants will be uprooted in Latin America due to climate change alone.

I think it's time Congress listens to our military and addresses this problem. Economists overwhelmingly support a carbon tax, and the U.S. Treasury estimates that by rebating revenue to households in a fee-and-dividend approach, 70 percent of households would come out ahead.

Justin Pelczarski

Chicago