John Warner ties security, jobs to climate change

John Warner wants Congress to pass legislation designed to curb climate change.

But instead of arguing on moral grounds — as many environmentalists do — the former Virginia senator is relying on what he knows the best: the military and the economy.

"China and India and the rest of the nations in the world are going to eat our lunch," if the United States doesn't swiftly react to climate change, he said.

Warner, who appeared at a climate change conference with scientists, politicians, and military brass on Tuesday in Norfolk, spoke with the Daily Press earlier that morning.

He said climate change is interlocked with national security and energy dependence, and that the United States needs to reduce its reliance on foreign oil.

Warner, who steered thousands of defense jobs to Hampton Roads during his career, said the nation needs to invest in solar and wind energy, nuclear power, and clean coal technology.

"This is a huge, huge, jobs opportunity," said Warner, who is working with Pew Charitable Trusts, a nonprofit organization that focuses on environmental issues.

The former GOP lawmaker, who did not seek re-election in 2008, called on Congress to pass climate change legislation. The House approved a bill earlier this summer; but the Senate, mired in a debate over health care, has yet to act.

By not doing so, the United States puts its armed forces at risk, Warner said. For example, the military is typically among the first to respond to natural disasters, such as tsunamis or hurricanes, associated with climate change.

"These young men and women in uniform are taking the risks," Warner said.

He was joined Tuesday by John B. Nathman, a retired Navy admiral who, like Warner, said climate change impacts the military.

For example, droughts in Africa have caused food and water shortages. This poses a threat to unstable governments such as Somalia and Kenya, where the U.S. and its allies have a military presence, he said.

Asked if the war in Iraq is the result of climate change manifesting itself, Nathman said "it's hard to say."

Having the admiral and Warner, a respected voice in defense issues, involved in the climate change debate illustrates how far the issue has advanced, said Phyllis Cuttino, director of Pew Environment Group's U.S. Global Warming Campaign.

Warner sponsored climate change legislation in 2007 that ultimately failed to make it through Congress.

The effort, like the current legislation, faced opposition from the power, manufacturing, and transportation industries.

Plus, he said the Bush administration "simply wasn't going to take this battle on."

Warner said he is encouraged so far by President Barack Obama, who made climate change legislation part of his election platform. Still, Warner said Obama needs help from Congress to make climate change legislation a reality.

"We've got to get Congress and the President working together," he said