The National Security Imperative for Climate Action

WATCH THE RECORDED SESSION HERE.

ABOUT THE WEBINAR

The idea that a warming planet threatens stability around the globe is not new. But now we have a critical window to rapidly reduce climate pollution and build resiliency, if we are to avert climate catastrophes. Understanding the impacts of climate change on conflicts between and within nations, as well as the impacts on U.S. military infrastructure and operations, is critical to inform climate mitigation and adaptation action. Join this conversation with U.S. government and academic leaders to explore why and how new national and foreign policy is needed to ensure a more sustainable future.

ABOUT THE SPEAKERS

William J. Fallon
Admiral, U.S. Navy (Retired)
Principal, Global Alliance Advisors, LLC

Admiral William J. Fallon retired from the U.S. Navy after a distinguished 40-year career of military and strategic leadership. He has led U.S. and Allied forces in eight separate commands and played a leadership role in military and diplomatic matters at the highest levels of the U.S. government. As head of U.S. Central Command, Admiral Fallon directed all U.S. military operations in the Middle East, Central Asia and the Horn of Africa, focusing on combat efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan. He led the U.S. Pacific Command for two years, directing political-military activities in the Asia-Pacific region.


Ted Lieu
U.S. Representative
CA-33rd District

Ted W. Lieu represents California’s 33rd Congressional District in the United States House of Representatives. The Congressmember is serving in his third term in Congress and currently sits on the House Judiciary Committee and the House Foreign Affairs Committee. He was also selected by his Democratic Colleagues to serve as a Co-Chair of the Democratic Policy and Communications Committee. He is a former active duty officer in the U.S. Air Force and currently serves as a Colonel in the Reserves, stationed at Los Angeles Air Force Base. In Congress, Lieu has also established himself as a leader on the environment. The first bill Lieu introduced after coming to Congress was the Climate Solutions Act, which aims to make California’s ground-breaking renewable energy goals and climate emissions reduction targets a national model. In 2019, Congressmember Lieu introduced an even more aggressive version of the legislation in order to tackle society's most pressing issue.


David Orr
Professor of Environmental Studies and Politics
Oberlin College

David W. Orr is Paul Sears Distinguished Professor of Environmental Studies and Politics Emeritus and senior advisor to the president of Oberlin College. He is a founding editor of the journal Solutions, and founder of the Oberlin Project, a collaborative effort of the city of Oberlin, Oberlin College, and private and institutional partners to improve the resilience, prosperity, and sustainability of Oberlin. Orr is the author of eight books, including Dangerous Years: Climate Change, the Long Emergency, and the Way Forward (Yale, 2016) and Down to the Wire: Confronting Climate Collapse (Oxford, 2009) and coeditor of three others. He has authored over 200 articles, reviews, book chapters, and professional publications.

ABOUT THE MODERATOR

Kate Guy
Senior Research Fellow
The Center for Climate & Security

Kate Guy is a Senior Research Fellow with the Center for Climate and Security (CCS), and Deputy Director of the International Military Council on Climate and Security. Previously, she was Chair of CCS’s National Security, Military and Intelligence Panel (NSMIP). She is currently pursuing a PhD in International Relations at the University of Oxford, where she researches the intersection of climate change, national security, and global governance. In addition to her studies, Kate also works as a research assistant to the Dean of the Blavatnik School of Government, and is a manager of the Oxford School of Climate Change.

SPONSORED BY

The UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation

The UCLA Burkle Center for International Relations