Past Events - Climate and Security
Past Events
Global Climate and Energy Policy Trends – 2024 and Beyond
16 April 2024 / 12:00 – 1:00 pm PT
Joint event with the NPS Energy Academic Group
In-person only / MAE Auditorium / Naval Postgraduate School
Speaker: Jessica Yllemo, Director, Climate Security Programs, American Security Project
This presentation will explore the climate and energy policies shaping key elections, geopolitical implications of current trends, and what the future may hold for climate and energy for defense.
Combined Naval Address on Climate, Energy and Environment Featuring John Englander
26 March 2024 / 0930 PT / Virtual
Join the event online at: https://nps-edu.zoomgov.com/j/1618959468
Passcode: @CNAslr24# / Meeting ID: 161 895 9468
Co-sponsored by NPS, Naval War College, U.S. Naval Academy, U.S. Naval Community College and Marine Corps University
For more information on Mr. Englander: https://johnenglander.net/
TEDx Talk – Sea level rise – fact & fiction
Books: High Tide on Main Street (2012); Moving to Higher Ground (2021)
Climate Challenges in the Caribbean Region
22 January 2024 / 0900-1000 PT / Virtual
Speakers:
Colonel Telbert L. A. Benjamin
Rear Admiral Antonette Wemyss-Gorman
Co-sponsored by NPS, Naval War College, U.S. Naval Academy, U.S. Naval Community College and Marine Corps University
Analysis of Pathways to Reach Net Zero Naval Operations by 2050, Phase II
1 November 2023 / 1200 PT / Virtual
Join via Zoom at: https://nps-edu.zoomgov.com/j/1602925702
Passcode: #NetZero23 / Meeting ID: 160 292 5702
Speakers:
Cayle Bradley, Energy Academic Group and Jonathan Lussier, Systems Engineering Department, Naval Postgraduate School
The Phase I Analysis of Pathways to Reach Net Zero Naval Operations quantified Department of the Navy (DoN) operational systems emissions identified potential pathways to meet the 2050 reduction targets directed in Executive Orders and DoD and DON climate strategies. Phase II analysis further considers the DoN unique challenges for integrating emissions reduction measures and climate science to quantify the impact of four specific measures: alternative force structure, nuclear, platform carbon capture and storage, and sustainable fuels.
Water for Energy (W4E): The Quiet Crisis in the Making and on Border Prosperity in USA-Mexico and Other Regions
31 October 2023 / 1200 PT / Naval Postgraduate School
Spanagel Hall, Room #321
Speaker:
Luciano Castillo, PhD
Kenninger Professor of Renewable Energy & Power Systems in Mechanical Engineering
School of Mechanical Engineering, Purdue University
Luciano is the Kenninger Professor of Renewable Energy & Power Systems in Mechanical Engineering at Purdue University and also the associate editor of Wind Engineering & Science at Texas Tech University. He serves on various scientific committees on renewable energy in Europe. His areas of research interest include turbulence, renewable energy, and bioengineering. Luciano has published over 100 publications, edited several books on renewable energy, and has co-authored several patents.
Combined Naval Address on Climate, Energy and Environment featuring Dr. Katharine Ricke
Presentation Title: Geoengineering the Earth’s Climate: an introduction to the scientific and governance issues
24 October 2023 / 1230 – 1320 ET / 0930 – 1020 PT
Join the event online at: https://usnwc.zoom.us/j/87122178281
Passcode: 610034 / Meeting ID: 871 2217 8281
Co-sponsored by NPS, Naval War College, U.S. Naval Academy, U.S. Naval Community College and Marine Corps University
The Global Water Security Center: Translating environmental data for security decisions
23 August 2023 / 1200 PT / Virtual
In-person at NPS: 203 Reed Hall
Join the event online at: https://nps-edu.zoomgov.com/j/1613243516
Passcode: @23CSNnps* / Meeting ID: 161 324 3516.
Speaker:
Dr. Kate Brauman
The Global Water Security Center (GWSC) is a DoD-funded center at the University of Alabama that develops, maintains, and interprets water and environmental security data and information. GWSC has identified a number of barriers to the uptake and use of water and environmental information in security decisions. Dr. Brauman will discuss GWSC’s approach to translating water information for DoD users and present our working framework to help decision makers rapidly understand the linkages from water events to potential insecurity.
For more information: Global Water Security Center
Climate Change Law: The Impact of Recent Cases on Climate Security
2 August 2023 / 1200 PT / Virtual
Speakers:
Kristen Fletcher and Bec Grippo, NPS Energy Academic Group, Climate & Security Network
Speakers will review recent cases that can have lasting impacts on climate security work from recent Supreme Court decisions to evolving international climate change law. The briefing is geared toward a nonlegal audience with an eye toward what climate security professionals need to know for their work going forward.
Register here.
View Flyer.
Resource Document.
Department of the Navy Climate Change Tabletop Exercise II
27-28 April 2023
Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, CA
The Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Energy, Installations, & Environment), the Naval Postgraduate School, and the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability are co-hosting the Department of the Navy Climate Change Tabletop Exercise II. This event is a unique opportunity to work toward climate solutions alongside academics, subject matter experts, Navy and Marine Corps leaders, and government and private sector leaders to inform the Department of the Navy’s (DoN) analytic agenda for climate. The goal is to identify joint solutions that Stanford and NPS can undertake to advance DoN climate priorities and sustainability.
This event is invitation-only. Please contact Kristen Fletcher with questions: kristen.fletcher@nps.edu.
LODGING: Lodging for the Monterey Bay Area will be in high demand. If you wish to stay on base at the Navy Gateway Inns and Suites, please contact Lois Hazard at lkhazard@nps.edu as soon as possible to reserve a room. Rooms will be allocated on a first come, first served basis.
- For phone and email for reservations: https://nps.edu/web/navy-gateway
- For room descriptions and rates: https://nps.edu/web/navy-gateway/accomodations
- For details on who can stay on base: https://nps.edu/web/navy-gateway/who-can-stay
- For California per diem rates: https://www.gsa.gov/travel/plan-book/per-diem-rates/per-diem-rates-results/?action=perdiems_report&state=CA&fiscal_year=2023&zip=&city=
TTX AFTER ACTION REPORT (JUNE 2023)
TTX PARTICIPANT UPDATE LETTER (OCT 2023)
2-Year Celebration of CSN
11 April 2023 / 5–6:30 pm PT / Trident Room, NPS
Perspectives on Climate from a Military Fellow
5 April 2023 / 1200 PT / Virtual
Speaker:
Colonel Alison J. Thompson, U.S. Marine Corps
This presentation features Council on Foreign Relations Military Fellow Alison Thompson of the U.S. Marine Corps. She will share her experiences as a fellow and Research she is conducting on climate security issues for the Navy and Marine Corps.
Combined Naval Address on Climate, Energy & Environment featuring Dr. Neta Crawford
Presentation Title: Climate Change, Climate Security, and the U.S. Military
9 February 2023
Co-sponsored by NPS, Naval War College, U.S. Naval Academy, U.S. Naval Community College and Marine Corps University
For more information on Dr. Crawford:
Dr. Crawford Full Bio
The Lawfare Podcast: Neta Crawford on the Pentagon, Climate Change, and War
Costs of War
CSN Members Lunch
8 December 2022
In-person - NPS Foundation Patio
NPS faculty and students are invited to a bring-your-own-lunch gathering at the NPS Foundation.
Challenges of Climate Security & Governance Competition
30 November 2022 / 1200 PT / Virtual
Speakers:
Major Matt Alexander, US Army
Major Alexander Kenna, US Army
This presentation features NPS students who will share their thesis work on how climate security events can be leveraged in governance competition, especially in vulnerable regions. The research includes the connections associated with Climate Security and Strategic Competition and how the DoD can best approach these challenges. Special focus will be applied to how climate change events can serve as a threat multiplier and how Army Special Operations Civil Affairs can assist in addressing the strategic geopolitical implications of climate security as it concerns the civil domain.
Net Zero Briefing: Pathways to Net Zero Emissions
25 October 2022
Speakers:
Kristen Fletcher, Energy Academic Group
Marina Lesse, Energy Academic Group
Bonnie Johnson, Systems Engineering
Brandon Naylor, Energy Academic Group
Major Joseph Lucas, U.S. Army
Major Steven Moore, U.S. Army
This is the third and final briefing in the CSN Net Zero Briefing series featuring NPS researchers. In this briefing, faculty and students will share findings from a Naval Research Program-funded project focused on how the Operational Navy may reach net zero emissions by 2050. The findings cover a variety of potential strategies but focus on ships and planes which create over 70% of DoN emissions and are difficult to decarbonize. Other strategies addressed include electrification, increased efficiencies, unmanned systems, hydrogen, nuclear, renewable energy, and carbon capture and sequestration.
Combined Naval Address on Climate, Energy, and the Environment: Climate Action 2030
15 September 2022
Speakers: ASN Meredith Berger, Energy, Installations, and Environment
Ms. Deb Loomis, Senior Advisor for Climate
In-person at U.S. Naval Academy/Virtual Via Google Meets
This event is open to faculty, staff, and students of the naval educational institutions and invited DoN and DoD guests.
ONR S&T Activities and Opportunities to support Navy Climate Action 2030
3 August 2022
Speakers:
Dr. Mark Spector, Office of Naval Research
Dr. Emily Shroyer, Office of Naval Research
Maritime Decarbonization
August 2, 2022
Joint event with Energy Academic Group
In-person only / MAE Auditorium / Naval Postgraduate School
Speaker: Mr. David Hume, Pacific Northwest National Lab
This briefing will present updates from maritime decarbonization efforts across the U.S. government and private sector.
CSN Research Roundtable
12 May
In-person – 203 Reed Hall
NPS faculty and students will share information about climate and security related research and hear about research being conducted across campus. Organizers will discuss the CSN Research Initiative and share information about current and upcoming funding opportunities.
Climate Security Leaders Panel
April 25, 2022
Speakers:
Dr. Emily A. Pesicka, ORISE Post-Doctoral Fellow with NPS Center for Infrastructure Defense
Katelin Wright, Senior Immigration Services Officer, U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services, CSAG Climate and Security Fellow
LT Kionna D. Myles, MSC, USN, NPS Student, Barrow Fellow
Captain Joe Yanuzzi, USMC, NPS Student, Barrow Fellow
LT Natalia Widulinski, USN, NPS Alumnus, Barrow Fellow
As climate change makes security problems more complex, approaching these problems through targeted interdisciplinary opportunities such as fellowships can create more effective solutions. These speakers are each participating as fellows or postdocs in assessing and solving some of the most challenging problems in the climate and security area. Join us to find out about their work and the opportunities these positions afford.
For more information:
CSAG Climate and Security Fellowship Program
1-Year Celebration of CSN
April 6, 2022
Trident Room, NPS
Net Zero Briefing
Hybrid Airships: An Initial Sustainability Analysis of a Large-scale Mobility Platform, its Manufacturing Process and Product Life-Cycle
March 8, 2022
Captain Ben Cohen, USMC and Captain John Schmaltz, USMC
This is the second in the series of Net Zero Briefings featuring the research of two NPS students. Speakers will share their research findings about Hybrid Airships and potential for operational use as the Navy and DoD move toward net zero emissions by 2050. The briefing will feature partner Hybrid Air Vehicles who will address manufacturing sustainability for the future.
Combined Naval Address on Climate, Energy & Environment: Featuring Dr. Marshall Shepherd
The Extreme Weather - Climate Gap: A discussion at the Intersection of Risk, Vulnerability, and Communication
February 2, 2022
Dr. Shepherd Resources
- Dr. Shepherd Full Bio
- National Academies Gilbert F White Lecture
- TED Talk: 3 kinds of bias that shape your worldview
- TED Talk: Slaying the “zombies” of climate Science
- Forbes Article: 20 Common Myths that Climate Scientists Often Hear
- Forbes Article: 9 Tips for Communicating Science to People Who Are Not Scientists
- Quoted in AP Article: Americans’ trust in science now deeply polarized, poll shows
Co-sponsored by NPS, Naval War College, U.S. Naval Academy and Marine Corps University
Classified Briefing: National Intelligence Estimate Climate Change Report
Co-hosted with NPS Energy Academic Group and the Intelligence Community’s Environmental Security Working Group
December 8, 2021 / Virtual SVTC
This briefing will present key findings from the classified version of the National Intelligence Estimate report including the intensifying effects that will exacerbate geopolitical flashpoints, particularly after 2030, and key countries and regions that will face increasing risks of instability and need for humanitarian assistance.
NPS Net-Zero Project: Capstone Briefing
Cost-Based Analysis of Surface Warship Lithium-Ion Battery Conversion
Presented by: LT Chris Masters, LCDR Evan Bloxham, LT Ashraful Haque
December 1, 2021
Discussing the capstone project which aims to identify the US Navy surface fleet's current fuel consumption and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Researchers performed a cost-benefit analysis for converting Navy surface ships to electric, battery-powered alternatives using technology currently available in the public market. The project created a working financial model which can be used for future research that requires a quantitative understanding of the costs and benefits of lithium-ion battery use. Project results will contribute to the NPS research study Pathways to Net Zero Emissions for the Operational Navy.
Moderated by: Kristen Fletcher, Energy Academic Group, Climate & Security Network
COP26 Panel: Making Sense of Glasgow
November 17, 2021
Speakers:
Jennifer DeCesaro, Director for Climate Security and Resilience, National Security Council
Erin Sikorsky, Director, Center for Climate and Security
NPS Discussants:
Nick Dew, Graduate School of Defense Management
Kristen Fletcher, Energy Academic Group
Tom Murphree, Department of Meteorology
The UN Climate Change Conference – known as COP26 – brought parties together to accelerate action towards the goals of the Paris Agreement and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. Speakers and discussants will share perspectives on what was accomplished at COP26 and what it means for the work of DoD and the Navy.
Offshore Wind Farms and the Morro Bay Project
Speaker: Mr. Mike Clancy, Citizens' Climate Network
October 26, 2021
The Biden Administration recently gave approval for the Morro Bay Offshore Wind Farm, which will consist of about 375 floating wind turbines moored between 20 and 30 miles off the Big Sur coast between Lucia and Cambria. This presentation will provide a brief summary of the causes and impacts of climate change and the need to transition to clean energy, give an overview of the technology of offshore wind farms, and present the specifics of the Morro Bay Project. The presentation will also explore issues of possible concern, such as the impact of the project on commercial fishing, wildlife and the Big Sur viewshed.
Mike Clancy earned a B.S. in Oceanography from Florida Institute of Technology in 1973 and a M.S. in Meteorology from the University of Miami in 1975. He worked for SAIC in the late '70s and NRL in the early '80s. He joined Fleet Numerical Meteorology and Oceanography Center (FNMOC) in Monterey in 1983 and was selected as Technical and Scientific Director of FNMOC in August of 2005. Mr. Clancy authored over 100 publications in meteorology, oceanography and information technology, and received over 50 professional awards, including the Navy’s highest civilian award, prior to his retirement in 2011.
Combined Naval Address on Climate, Energy and the Environment: Featuring Dr. Saul Griffith
Co-sponsored by NPS, Naval War College, U.S. Naval Academy and Marine Corps University
September 24, 2021
Trained as an engineer, Saul Griffith is an inventor and entrepreneur. He has founded and co-founded numerous technology companies based in the Bay Area. He is Founder and Chief Scientist at Otherlab, an independent R&D lab that helps government agencies and Fortune 500 companies understand energy infrastructure and build transformational technologies that bring us closer to 100% decarbonization.
Climate Security Policy: An Overview of Some Commercial Influences
July 13, 2021
1200-1300 PT | Via MS Teams
Professor Nick Dew, Graduate School of Defense Management
Climate security policy depends in some crucial ways on assumptions about commercial factors such as the development of new technologies and the strategies of MNCs (multi-national corporations). Sometimes these assumptions are empirically well-grounded; other times not so much. This presentation will address some key empirical trends and recent events in the business landscape that policymakers may want to keep one eye on.
Advancing Arctic Research
June 3, 2021
Julia Nesheiwat, US Arctic Research Commission
Wieslaw Maslowski, NPS Oceanography Department
John Joseph, NPS Oceanography Department
For information on our Guest Speaker, Dr. Julia Nesheiwat, visit: https://www.arctic.gov/julia-nesheiwat/
For more information on the US Arctic Research Commission, read a Q&A with David Kennedy, new chair of the Commission: https://physicstoday.scitation.org/do/10.1063/PT.6.4.20210507a/full/
The Security Implications of Climate Change
April 27, 2021 | Virtual Navy Guest Lecture (V-SGL)
Mr. Joseph Bryan
From the President’s Executive Orders on Climate Change, the mandates and vision laid out by the President and Secretary of Defense, and the White House Leaders’ Climate Summit, Mr. Bryan will discuss the national security implications of climate change and perspectives on the path forward from the DoD Climate Working Group he leads.
Mr. Joseph Bryan is the Senior Advisor on Climate to the Secretary of Defense. Prior to his appointment, Joe Bryan was principal at a consulting practice focused on clean energy technology and its intersection with national security. Joe previously served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Energy where he was responsible for policies relating to the Department’s installation and operational energy programs. To view a presentation by Mr. Bryan from 2017 for the Energy Academic Group, visit: https://nps.edu/web/eag/seminar030317
NPS Climate & Security Speaker Series: Prioritizing Climate & Security in DoD
April 7, 2021
The Honorable John Conger
Mr. Conger will kick off NPS’ Climate Speaker Series with an overview of President Biden’s recent Executive Orders on Climate Change and the mandates and vision laid out by the President and Secretary of Defense Austin. Mr. Conger will offer his perspectives on the path forward for DoD and offer recommendations from research and analysis conducted by the Center for Climate and Security.