"NEW LONDON, Conn. -- Rising seas and thawing permafrost caused by warmer global temperatures threaten U.S. military bases and will change the way the U.S. armed services defend the country, President Barack Obama said on Wednesday.

In a commencement address at the United States Coast Guard Academy, Obama underscored the risks to national security posed by climate change, one of his top priorities for action in his remaining 19 months in office.

"The threat of a changing climate cuts to the very core of your service," Obama told the 224 graduating cadets, who studied the impacts of global warming as part of their curriculum."
 
Roberta Rampton reports for Reuters May 20, 2015. [2]

SEE ALSO:

"Jeb Bush Says Climate Is Changing But Human Role Is 'Convoluted'" (Reuters) [3]

"Obama Recasts Climate Change as a Peril With Far-Reaching Effects" (New York Times) [4]

"Obama: Climate Change Deniers Endangering National Security" (The Hill) [5]