The Age of Consequences Page #3

INTO THOSE CITIES IN SYRIA,

THEY WERE UNEMPLOYED,

DIDN'T HAVE A SOURCE OF FOOD.

THEY NEEDED:

TO FEED THEIR FAMILIES.

ISIL PROMISED THEM

BOTH THOSE THINGS

DESPITE THE PHILOSOPHY

BEHIND THEIR ORGANIZATIONS,

PEOPLE WANT TO SURVIVE FIRST.

[SEAGER]

ISIS WAS PRE-EXISTING

IN THE REGION:

AND WOULD HAVE EXISTED

EVEN THERE HAD NOT BEEN

A DROUGHT IN SYRIA,

BUT ONCE THE SYRIAN SOCIETY

BEGAN TO UNRAVEL,

EVERY ACTOR:

WITHIN THAT REGION

SAW AN OPPORTUNITY

TO TRY TO USE THE CRISIS

TO ADVANCE:

THEIR PRE-EXISTING AGENDA.

[FEMIA]

ISIS HAS CERTAINLY

TAKEN ADVANTAGE:

OF SCARCE WATER RESOURCES,

CREATING LEVERAGE

OVER LOCAL POPULATIONS.

[REPORTER]

ISIS HAS JUS TAKEN OVER A DAM

NEAR THE KEY CITY OF RAMADI,

SHUTTING IT DOWN

AND PREVENTING WATER

FROM REACHING:

TWO KEY TOWNS.

THEIR GOAL, TO QUOTE

"KILL PEOPLE OF THIRST."

[BREEN]

THEY'RE SECURING ACCESS

TO RIVER TOWNS.

THEY'RE SECURING ACCESS

TO WATER SUPPLIES,

AND IT'S DRIVING THEIR STRATEGY.

[CHENEY]

WATER BECOMES:

AN INSTRUMENT OF WAR

FOR THESE PEOPLE

WHO ARE LOOKING TO TAKE OVER.

YOU CONTROL THE WATER,

YOU CONTROL THE LIVELIHOOD

OF THE PEOPLE.

CLIMATE CHANGE IS GONNA IMPAC THE AMOUNT OF WATER.

IT'LL IMPAC WHO CONTROLS THE WATER.

THAT'LL IMPAC THE INSTABILITY.

[SEAGER]

THE CLIMATE CHANGE THA WE'RE GONNA BE EXPERIENCING

OVER THE NEXT FEW YEARS

IS WAY IN EXCESS

OF WHAT WE'VE EXPERIENCED

UP TO NOW.

AND I THINK THE SYRIA CASE

IS A REAL WAKE-UP

FOR WHA THE CONSEQUENCES CAN BE,

AND THIS IS REALLY EARLY ON

IN THIS GAME.

[PARENTI]

IT'S IN THE U.S.

NATIONAL INTERES TO ENSURE THAT THERE'S

A STABILITY GLOBALLY.

THOSE ARE THINGS

THAT CAN COME HOME TO US.

[TIMOTHY SNYDER]

YOU CAN ALWAYS LOOK AT SYRIA

AND SAY, "WELL, IT'S ISIS,"

OR, "WELL, IT'S ASSAD."

YES, IT IS ISIS.

YES, IT'S ASSAD.

BUT THERE'S A BACKDROP

WHICH HAS TO DO WITH CLIMATE.

THAT'S GONNA HAPPEN

OVER AND OVER AND OVER AGAIN.

EACH TIME WE'LL HAVE

A DIFFERENT POLITICAL

OR IDEOLOGICAL STORY TO TELL,

EACH TIME IT'LL BE TRUE,

AND EACH TIME THE UNDERLYING

FACTOR WILL BE CLIMATE.

[BURKE]

WHEN YOU TALK ABOU CLIMATE CHANGE,

IT'S A NATIONAL

SECURITY CHALLENGE

IN THE BROADES POSSIBLE SENSE,

IN THAT THESE CHANGING

WEATHER PATTERNS OVER TIME

ARE GOING TO AFFEC THE WAY WE LIVE.

THEY'RE GOING TO AFFEC OUR FOOD SUPPLY,

OUR WATER SUPPLY, THE HEA OF THE ENVIRONMENT WE LIVE IN.

SECURITY IN THE BROADEST SENSE

IS ABOUT ALL THE THINGS

THAT WE CARE ABOUT DAY TO DAY.

ARE YOU SAFE?

CAN YOU FEED YOUR FAMILY?

CAN YOUR CHILDREN

GO TO SCHOOL?

WHEN YOU TALK ABOU CLIMATE CHANGE

AS A NATIONAL SECURITY CHALLENGE

IN THE MILITARY SENSE,

YOU'RE TALKING ABOU HOW DOES IT AFFEC WHAT THE MILITARY HAS TO DO?

THE MISSIONS IT GOES ON,

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