Climate change a global security issue, report says

ALEXANDRIA, Va., May 14 (UPI) -- Climate change offers a severe risk to U.S. national and international security, and is a "catalyst for conflict," a military report said, noting clashes in the Middle East and Africa sparked by food shortages.

The report, issued Tuesday by retired military officers for the U.S. government-funded CNA Corporation Military Advisory Board, noted rising sea levels threaten food supplies in coastal regions, including Vietnam, Bangladesh and India. It added severe weather events, such as a typhoon that struck the Philippines earlier this year, will increase reliance on U.S. military troops for rescue and recovery. The report builds on a similar report issued in 2007.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry told The New York Times Wednesday the report will impact U.S. foreign policy decisions.

"Tribes are killing each other over water today. Think of what happens if you have massive dislocation, or the drying up of the waters of the Nile, of the major rivers in China or India," Kerry said.

Kerry added the U.S. intelligence community takes the report seriously.

The authors of the report conclude the U.S. can be a global leader in developing "sustainable and more efficient energy solutions to help slow climate change."