All Systems Go: Integrating Climate Security Across the U.S. Government
One of President Biden’s first actions as he took office in January 2021 was to lean in through executive direction and the issuance of executive orders to address the climate crisis. A key feature of those efforts is to ensure the integration of climate change across U.S. government portfolios, including national security and foreign policy. The President has made clear his intention for U.S. government agencies to coordinate both within and across their portfolios to make that happen. In practice, that will be a challenging lift for an organization as complex, large, and diverse as the U.S. government. The successful integration of climate change policy considerations and the development of integrated operational responses that reflect meaningful coordination across agencies requires a reorientation of how the U.S. conceives of security (both at home and abroad), international development, and diplomacy.