Green Blog: C.I.A. Closes Its Climate Change Office

The Central Intelligence Agency has disbanded its Center on Climate Change and National Security, a unit formed in 2009 to monitor the interplay between a warming planet and intelligence and security challenges.

The creation of the office drew fire at the time from some Republicans, who said it was an unnecessary expense and a distraction from the agency?s focus on terrorism and other more immediate threats. The agency did not say whether the closing was related to budget constraints or other political pressures.

Todd Ebitz, a C.I.A. spokesman, said that the agency would continue to monitor the security and humanitarian challenges posed by climate change as part of its focus on economic security, but not in a stand-alone office.

?The C.I.A. for several years has studied the national security implications of climate change,? Mr. Ebitz said in an e-mailed statement. ?As part of a broader realignment of analytic resources, this work continues to be performed by a dedicated team in a new office that looks at economic and energy matters affecting America?s national security. The mission and the resources devoted to it remain essentially unchanged.?

The closing of the office was first reported Monday by Greenwire.

The C.I.A. did not conduct its own scientific studies on climate change, instead relying on other government agencies and academic researchers. The National Research Council, an arm of the National Academies of Science, released an extensive report to the intelligence community last week on how it can better assess and respond to the impacts of climate change on vulnerable states.

Senator John Barrasso, Republican of Wyoming, has been the most vocal critic of the C.I.A.?s climate change work. He welcomed the closing of its office.

?Closing the Climate Change Center at the C.I.A. was the right decision,? Mr. Barrasso said in a statement. ?I offered an amendment on the Senate floor to eliminate the center because it was unnecessary, wasteful and totally out of place. It?s critically important for the C.I.A. to focus its resources on preventing terrorism and keeping Americans safe.?

Source: http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/11/20/c-i-a-closes-its-climate-change-office/?partner=rss&emc=rss

southern miss rod blagojevich rod blagojevich uconn ncaa march madness mario williams vcu