Military takes clean energy seriously, and it’s not alone

By Justin Ford

Sunday, Dec. 6, 2015 | 2 a.m.

Clean energy isn’t just for tree-huggers anymore.

Once upon a time, folks who talked about the environment fit a stereotype: they wore Birkenstocks, had long hair and smelled a … shall we say, particular way. They were very nearly cartoon characters imagined by those opposed to clean energy or unconcerned about climate change; they were unserious, and often championing pie-in-the-sky causes.

As a veteran of the Army, I don’t exactly fit that stereotype. And neither do an increasing number of Americans, all across the country, who are seeing the dangers of climate change and the benefits of clean energy.

The U.S. military has long since decided climate change is a “threat multiplier.” Increasing global temperatures mean more dangerous situations around the world — stressing already-fragile states with resource shortages and mass migrations, for example — and a higher likelihood of U.S. troop deployments to aid in disaster relief from stronger and stronger superstorms.

The military is an action-oriented institution, so we’ve decided to do something about it. Solar and wind power are powering technologies used by troops deployed in Afghanistan and Iraq as well as bases that provide mission-critical support from back home. And it turns out biofuels aren’t just for VW buses; they now power the most advanced fighter aircraft and naval assets in the world.

The notion that clean energy is good for everyone is catching wind (if you’ll pardon the pun) in the civilian sector, too, and with good reason. Clean-energy sectors are booming in states from California to Texas and Iowa to Hawaii, producing skilled jobs fueled by classically American innovation. The success has led to a groundswell movement, calling for 50 percent of our nation’s energy to be generated by clean sources by 2030. An ambitious goal, for sure — but not at all unrealistic, and massively beneficial to local economies.

The economic benefits are just part of the story, though. Transitioning away from a single-source dependency on oil is as good for our national security as it is for jobs growth. No longer will the Department of Defense, the biggest buyer of oil in the country, be overly dependent on price shocks from the global oil market. No longer will we be sending money abroad to countries that don’t exactly share our views and values (looking at you, Russia and Iran). And no longer will we be pumping as much carbon dioxide into the air, speeding the destabilizing effects of climate change that put our men and women in uniform in harm’s way.

Clean energy is a clear win for national security, jobs and the planet. Growing the economy here at home is is practical, lucrative and necessary. With these kinds of benefits, we can all be clean-energy advocates. Now is the time for our leaders to follow the military’s lead and join the push for 50 percent clean energy by 2030.

Justin Ford is a former Army airborne combat engineer and a member of the Truman National Security Project’s Defense Council. He wrote this for insidesources.com.