Climate Change as a National Security Issue

“Despite decades of warnings from the scientific community, thousands of pages of reports, and dozens of climate conferences, we are still heading in the wrong direction. At the moment, it’s going to be quite difficult to keep it at the 1.5-degree limit. We’re heading toward 2.5 or 3 degrees.”

— Petteri Taalas, Secretary General of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), November 15, 2023 

In the world of national security, Pat was ahead of the curve when it came to studying climate change, developing the first course on climate change for any DOD regional academic center. His two-week course brought together 50 senior practitioners from 25 Latin American and African countries to study climate change and environmental security. 

Pat also supports broader efforts to improve climate literacy by conducting research and publishing reports on the topic. A sought-after lecturer on this subject, he frequently serves as keynote speaker, moderator, and working group lead in regional conferences on the effects of climate change, along with mitigation and adaptation efforts countries must make to manage the problems. 

Pat's climate change specializations include:

• Helping security organizations understand the threat

• Training, education, and workshops

• Curriculum building

• Research and writing

For a complete list of Pat's speaking topics, visit his presentations page. To view his CV, click here. And to inquire about Pat's availability, contact him here.