Retired Navy Rear Adm. Len Hering is the executive director of the California Center for Sustainable Energy. Hering retired from the Navy in 2009 after, among other things, he helped lead the Navy’s effort to become more sustainable. KPBS Military Reporter Steve Walsh spoke with him about President Trump’s decision to pull out of the Paris Climate Accord and the impact that will have on the U.S. military’s efforts.
Q: What was your reaction when you heard the U.S. had pulled out of the Paris Climate Accord?
A: Not surprised, primarily because that was one of his campaign promises. I was a little shocked by the embolden nature of how he presented his case…showed from my perspective, an extreme misunderstanding of the entire concept of what the Paris Climate Accord provides for us as a nation and a globe. And I think the characterization of his reason was, for all practical purposes, from my perspective, a complete lack of leadership and a misunderstanding in what climate change really has for the environment.
Q: I think we think of these issues as really coming to the forefront in the Obama Administration but back in 2005, when you were on active duty, President Bush gave you the award for Federal Leadership on Energy Management. Why does the military even care about these issues, or do they?
A: I think it’s important to understand that when I was brought here, I was brought here to reduce the costs associated with shore infrastructure so that those dollars could be sent forward to support the war fighting effort. From a business perspective you look at your largest cost centers and you begin to focus on those cost centers. And guess what the three largest cost centers were — energy, water and waste.
Q: So how has the military’s view of climate change evolved since 2005?
A: Back in 2005 we weren’t talking about climate change as you know it. But I think what you’ve seen over the course of time is a realization from a strategic perspective that climate change is real. And it’s happening on a global scale. And there are significant impacts to our national security that will become part of our national security spectrum of planning and contingency requirements.
Q: What are some of those issues, when the military thinks of climate change what worries them?
A: One of the best examples is Bangladesh ... Bangladesh is sinking. It will in its geo-political time frame create instability in the region. And that’s just one example because there are many in the Pacific.
Q: Does pulling out of Paris make a difference to what the military is doing?
A: I don’t think as a whole, unfortunately, I think that (Trump) thinks that pulling out of Paris will have an effect. The truth of the matter is we’re not in it for the politics of whatever it is he thinks that we’re in it for … (the climate change strategy, created over the last 10 years) It’s still there. It’s still present.
Q: But does that change the debate, if you’re trying to find money to address some of these issues, does that become harder?
A: It will in some cases make it harder to mitigate.
Q: Is it going to make it very hard to discuss some of these issues over the next four years?
A: The great part of this is, more than 200 cities signed onto the accord in Paris, and San Diego is one of them, Washington, New York, DC, Boston, San Francisco — 200 cities across the country have all signed on to the agreement. And then you’ve got 193 different countries who are all part of this process … if you take a look at the total than it becomes a different conversation.”
