A change in climate for the Australian Defence Force. Release of ASPI Special Report

The Australian Strategic Policy Institute has today released a new Special Report, A Change in Climate for the Australian Defence Force by Anthony Bergin, Director of Research Programs for ASPI and Jacob Townsend, an ASPI Research Analyst.

The report outlines numerous ways that the issue and impacts of climate change may affect the Australian Defence Force (ADF). Climate change has implications for what the ADF does and how it operates.

Possibilities include:
– More border protection activities to police marine resources and cope with ‘climate refugees’.
– More disaster response missions at home and abroad.
– More counter-proliferation missions and responsibilities.
– Incorporation of climate change impacts into procurement decisions, such as by taking into account temperature increases and paying greater attention to greenhouse gas emissions.
– More intrusive energy and emissions reporting requirements.
– Implementing carbon offsets for ADF emissions. Defence may be able to earn substantial amounts from offsets on its sizeable land holdings.
– Interest in more disaster-specific or dual-use equipment.
– Complications for training on land and at sea.
– Participation in climate change information-gathering. 
– More energy research, including alternative energies, which may have added benefits of improving operational performance.
– Re-fitting bases for low emissions.
– Re-considering decisions on where to base assets.
– A shrinking recruitment pool and risks to personnel from changing disease distributions.
– Further use of simulators instead of ‘live’ training.
– Assessing the threats to bases — including ports — from climate change impacts and budgeting for their protection, reconstruction or re-location.
– More cooperative agreements and peacetime training with disaster relief NGOs and private contractors.

The report recommends that the Department of Defence consider establishing a small section to analyse and prepare the ADF for the risks and opportunities that climate change will present. The biggest challenge will be changing Defence behaviour and systems without reducing ADF operational capability.