Climate Change, Space, and Implications for National Security

The panel discussion on climate change and national security covered a broad range of scientific and policy issues. The panelists agreed that climate change has the potential to cause significant problems, especially if people have not adapted to the changes that would occur. The importance of establishing baselines for climate assessment was emphasized, as was the need for a well-planned Earth observation architecture. Challenges exist in the organizational structure of the government, as the various agencies that have a stake in climate change are not working in a coordinated fashion. Although international cooperation on space-based sensing has been very successful, there is room for more discussion to ensure that a global architecture can be maintained.