During his speech at the Coast Guard Commencement ceremonies, President Obama warned that climate change was part of the reason behind increasing violence in countries around the world.
Obama pointed out that under his administration, the Pentagon had begun identifying climate change as a “threat multiplier” in world conflicts, although he was careful not to put all the blame on changing weather patterns.
“Understand, climate change did not cause the conflicts we see around the world, yet what we also know is that severe drought helped to create the instability in Nigeria that was exploited by the terrorist group Boko Haram,” he said.
He also claimed that climate change was partially responsible for the brutal civil war in Syria.
“It’s now believed that drought, crop failures, and high food prices helped fuel the early unrest in Syria, which descended into civil war in the heart of the Middle East,” he said.
Obama explained that the United States armed forces would now have to factor in climate change in upcoming missions.
“You need to be ready,” he said to the graduates.