A week after resigning in protest, Senate Climate Task Force hears from Dr. Schoonover and his crucial message on national security threats from climate change

Washington (July 23, 2019) – Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), Chair of the Senate Climate Change Task Force, convened today’s meeting to discuss the topic of climate and national security with former intelligence community expert, Dr. Rod Schoonover. Until recently, Dr. Schoonover worked on environmental security and scientific issues as a Senior Analyst at the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of Intelligence and Research, where he received such distinguished honors as Analyst of the Year and multiple State Department Superior Honor Awards. In prior roles, Dr. Schoonover contributed to seminal documents on climate change and national security, including the 2016 National Intelligence Council report “Implications for US National Security of Anticipated Climate Change.” 

On June 5, Dr. Schoonover provided oral testimony on the subject before the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. Afterward, news broke that his written testimony had been suppressed by Trump administration officials, preventing its submission into the Congressional record. This action interfered with Congress’s ability to examine the witness thoroughly on the topic of national security and climate change. Dr. Schoonover has since voluntarily resigned from his State Department position. 

“Disregard for the expertise of our intelligence community and climate science experts has become a hallmark of the Trump administration,” said Senator Markey, Senate author of the Green New Deal resolution. “Donald Trump’s climate denial and suppression of science is a direct threat to our national security. I thank Dr. Schoonover for the dedicated work he has done to advance our understanding of the threats our country faces, and for his principled stance in resigning.”

“People and societies worldwide, irrespective of stage of development, are likely to be substantially impacted by the effects of climate change, either directly, through events such as heatwaves and storms, or indirectly, through disruptions to agriculture, electricity, fisheries, water, and other critical human systems,” said Dr. Schoonover. “These stresses could drive or worsen a number of unwelcome national security outcomes, such as political instability, violence, migration, and geopolitical tensions.”

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