Although some of these issues are attributable to mismanagement by the Yemeni government or the government’s lack of military equipment, other factors, including climate change, play a significant role. Yemen’s rapidly diminishing water resources are one example of how climate change, exacerbated by poor resource management, is contributing to national and regional instability in Yemen and the Middle East.

BACKGROUND

The forecasts for Yemen’s water supply are uniformly dire. Negatively affected by drought and shifting weather patterns, annual water consumption per capita, at 200 cubic meters, is 80 percent below the water poverty line of 1000 cubic meters. The country’s capital, Sana’a, whose 7% annual population growth rate is the highest of any nation’s capital in the world, is expected to run out of economically viable water supplies by 2017, the same year the World Bank predicts Yemen will cease earning income from its oil, which accounts for three-quarters of the country’s annual income. The options for replacing the city’s expired water supply are as stark as the problem – pump desalinated water from the ocean up 2,000 meters to the capital; transfer water from a nearby basin separated from Sana’a by mountains; or move the capital elsewhere.

Weather patterns often associated with the effects of climate change have accelerated Yemen’s water woes. An unusually long drought has left 19 of the country’s 21 aquifers permanently dry. The climate-based challenges Yemen faces do not end with access to freshwater. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change ranked the Yemeni port city of Aden sixth among twenty-five cities vulnerable to rising sea levels. Rising sea levels can contaminate water supplies, damage infrastructure, and make portions of coastal cities uninhabitable because of regular flooding or submersion.

Aware of its environmental vulnerabilities, the Yemeni government has acted to combat climate change. During the first Earth Summit in 1992, Yemen became party to the United Nations Committee on Climate Change, which was internationally implemented in 1994. Yemen’s accession to the Kyoto Protocol was approved in September 2004. Since then, the Yemeni government has consistently supported efforts to responsibly manage Yemen’s water supply. In 2008, the government unveiled a plan to gather and harvest 70 percent of rainwater by 2012 in Sana’a. According to the plan, other parts of the country would collect 40 percent of rainwater by 2020.

Yet the Yemeni government’s initiatives have yet to bare substantive fruit. Fund-raising efforts by the international community to support Yemen’s strategy have yet to meet fundraising goals. Even money raised and dispensed has had little effect or affect on the Yemeni government’s efforts to contain the multiple violent movements throughout the country that threaten to plunge the country into chaos before its wells run dry. A collapsed Yemen would be problematic for the region, creating a sanctuary for extremist movements adjacent to the region’s leading oil producer, Saudi Arabia.

ANALYSIS

Substantive action on climate change is unlikely to occur before Yemen’s water crisis becomes significantly worse. The solution to the country’s water problems must begin with reform of water usage by its agricultural sector. This requires re-allocating water away from the thirsty plants of the qat leaf, a mild narcotic that consumes 40 percent of Yemen’s water and is chewed by approximately 70 percent of Yemeni men. Yemen’s leaders must find the rhetoric and cultivate the constituencies that will permit this culturally sensitive transition to occur with a minimum of conflict.

But the scope of Yemen’s resource and security problems are such that the Yemeni government cannot act alone to improve its stewardship of water and other climate change-affected resources. Support from the international community is essential. Yemen should work most closely with the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council, especially wealthy Saudi Arabia, which has a vital national interest. Even as it addresses its short-term problems, the Yemeni government must continue to pursue long-term solutions, both on climate change through diplomatic means, and on water usage through research and development. In this way, it will ensure a sustainable solution to the problems that threaten its ability to govern.

Marc A. Sorel is Middle East Regional Editor at Foreign Policy Digest. ]]> http://www.operationfree.net/2010/09/02/climate-change-exacerbates-yemens-water-woes-truman-fellow-marc-sorel/feed/ 0 http://www.operationfree.net/2010/09/01/arizona-veterans-set-record-straight-on-energy-troops-security-condemn-irresponsible-anti-giffords-ad-2/ http://www.operationfree.net/2010/09/01/arizona-veterans-set-record-straight-on-energy-troops-security-condemn-irresponsible-anti-giffords-ad-2/#comments Wed, 01 Sep 2010 18:59:15 +0000 Laura Britton http://www.operationfree.net/?p=1853 OPERATION FREE
Secure America with Clean Energy

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

September 1, 2010

CONTACT

David Solimini, 757-876-0295

Arizona Veterans Set Record Straight on Energy, Troops & Security, Condemn Irresponsible anti-Giffords Ad

Ad ignores the casualties caused by need to transport fuel in combat zones & disrespects General Petraeus.

Veterans ask Conservatives for Congress to pull down ad & apologize

Arizona veterans today responded to an ad by special interest group Conservatives for Congress which attacks Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords (AZ-8) for supporting the Department of Defense in their attempt to decrease energy use on the battlefield. Significant American casualties occur during the transport of fuel to troops in forward operating bases across Iraq and Afghanistan, and Giffords’ questions on the topic demonstrate that she understands the threats our troops face.

The complete, unedited, question and answer can be seen here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ww0ojjhtGc&feature=player_embedded

The ad disrespectfully manipulates the words of General David Petraeus, commander of forces in Afghanistan, as well, showing just how out of touch with American values “Conservatives for Congress” is. Today’s military leaders, and Congresswoman Giffords, understand the important connection between energy and security, a connection this reckless ad ignores.

Arizona veterans on the call particularly highlighted how the ad disrespects the dangerous work of hauling fuel in the streets of Baghdad and Kabul, and featured a serviceman who performed that duty, an assignment that that has cost the lives of many men and women in uniform.  In light of the consensus view of the US military and intelligence community on the threat posed by America’s short-sighted climate and energy policy, the veterans asked Conservatives for Congress to remove this reckless ad from the air.

Speakers on the call included: Former commander of Arizona’s Davis-Montham Air Force Base Lt. Gen. Norman Seip, US Air Force (ret.); US Marine Corps Iraq War veteran and Arizona native Ruben Gallego; US Army Iraq War veteran and Arizona native Mark Cardenas; and Operation Free Campaign Director and US Marine Corps veteran Jonathan Murray.

“I and the rest of the veterans of Operation Free want to thank Congressman Giffords for doing more than just putting a yellow ribbon on her car,” said Ruben Gallego, Arizona native and US Marine Corps Iraq War veteran. “While many members of Congress talk a big game about supporting our troops, Congresswoman Giffords’ actions are not only saving the Department of Defense billions of dollars, but also directly protecting our troops in combat.”

“This ad manipulates the words of our senior military leadership and disrespects the sacrifices of our men and women in uniform,” said Jonathan Murray, US Marine Corps veteran and Operation Free campaign manager. “hauling oil across the mountains of Afghanistan and through the streets of Bagdad is deadly work. These people owe the men and women who do that work an apology. America’s dependence on oil puts money into the hands of terrorists around the world. And at the same time carbon pollution is destabilizing nations like Somalia, Yemen, Sudan, Nigeria, and Afghanistan, creating safe havens for terrorists. This isn’t a political issue, this is a question of American security.”

US military leaders have recognized the threat posed by climate change and begun to prepare for climate-caused challenges. The CIA, the Defense Department, and the National Intelligence Council have all noted that climate change will increase instability in critical parts of the world. Earlier this year, in an unprecedented statement, the Department of Defense highlighted broad geopolitical and security threats posed to the United States by climate change when it released the 2010 Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR).

Operation Free is a coalition of veterans and national security organizations dedicated to securing America with clean energy. Operation Free sponsors the Veterans for American Power National Tour, a 29 state tour by Iraq and Afghanistan veterans making the connection between energy policy and national security. Learn more at www.OperationFree.net. Operation Free is an advocacy campaign of the Truman National Security Project.

# # #

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

September 1, 2010

CONTACT

David Solimini, 757-876-0295

TODAY: Veterans to Set Record Straight on Energy and Afghanistan, respond to irresponsible anti-Giffords ad

Ad ignores the casualties caused by need to transport fuel in combat zones

Veterans will ask Conservatives for Congress to pull down ad, apologize

In response to an ad by Conservatives for Congress which attacks Gabrielle Giffords (AZ-8) for her strong support of the Department of Defense’s efforts to reduce oil consumption on the battle field, veterans and security experts will highlight the group’s dangerous ignorance of the challenges of 21^st century conflict.  They will discuss the fact that the ad manipulates General Petraeus’ words, ignores military leadership, and disrespects the dangerous work of hauling fuel in the streets of Baghdad and Kabul, a service that has cost the lives of many men and women in uniform.  In light of the consensus view of the US military and intelligence community on the threat posed by America’s short-sighted climate and energy policy, veterans will ask Conservatives for Congress to remove this reckless ad from the air.

WHO:

Ruben Gallego, US Marine Corps and Iraq War veteran and Arizona native

Mark Cardenas, US Army and Iraq War veteran and Arizona native

Lt. Gen. Norman Seip, US Air Force (ret.), former commander of Arizona’s Davis-Montham AFB

Jonathan Murray, US Marine Corps veteran and Operation Free Campaign Director

WHERE: 209-647-1075, Access Code 892222#

WHEN: TODAY @ 10:00 a.m. Pacific, 1:00 p.m. Eastern

Operation Free is a coalition of veterans and national security organizations dedicated to securing America with clean energy. Learn more at www.OperationFree.net.

The Truman National Security Project is a leadership institute which trains progressives to lead on national security issues. Learn more at www.TrumanProject.org.

# # #

All of us associated with Operation Free are on the right side of this issue.  Our men and women who so proudly serve deserve a comprehensive energy bill as well as every citizen of our great country.  This is not a left or right or center issue nor a Republican, Democratic or Independent cause..energy independence is a cause for all Americans and we in Operation Free have the means to keep the cause on track.  It’s an honor to be on this team and I look forward to continuing our worthy work.

Norman R. Seip
Lt Gen (ret.) USAF

As veterans, we are used to dealing with the military, an institution that will take quick and decisive action to change as necessary to deal with and respond to challenges.  We are also becoming familiar with the slow and deliberate pace of change in the United States Senate.  The events of the 27^th exhibited this perfectly.  Senators Pryor and Lincoln expressed to us that while they support eventually putting a price on carbon, they cannot agree on how it should be done.  They also expressed their support for clean, renewable energy sources but refuse to ‘pick winners and losers’ as far as which sources should be developed.  The overall message was that something needs to be done, but nothing will get done right now.

This contrasted greatly with the message we heard at White House Forum from the Pentagon and Department of Energy.  Secretary Mabus and Deputy Secretary Poneman both expressed a joint, clear vision of a military committed to breaking dependence on oil, increasing energy efficiency, and developing and implementing new clean energy sources to fuel the fight.  The military seems to be committed to getting done what the U.S. Congress cannot.

Our hope is that if Congress listens to the military on all other national security issues, it will eventually listen on this issue.  We are disappointed that the Senate could not get the votes for a stronger comprehensive clean energy bill that fully addresses the issues of climate change and energy independence, but feel that we are at least facing in the right direction now.  The U.S. intelligence establishment, the State Department, and the Pentagon acknowledge that this is an issue and the military is taking steps to address it.  Let’s hope that Congress follows their example and listens to the military and veterans on this important national security issue.  We need stronger measures and leadership in the Senate; Congress is not off the hook yet.

That afternoon we all made our way to the Eisenhower Executive Office Building for the White House Clean Energy Forum. Carol Browner, Assistant to the President for Energy and Climate Change, started it off and was followed by the distinguished Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus. The forum consisted of two panels that were stocked with the best and brightest in the clean energy and national security arena. I was extremely honored to represent Operation Free on the second panel. I couldn’t help but wonder how I ever got so lucky as to be not only in attendance at this forum but to be a speaker. The forum went well and was good to see how the administration and military are continuing to move toward a clean energy future with or without Congress. Although this can seem disconcerting, it has happened over and over in history that the military leads the way and eventually the rest of the United States follows. It is just frustrating that the knowledge that we are funding both sides of the war isn’t enough to create change now.

So as the trip to D.C ended my thoughts go to how glad I was to see all the other great veterans and friends that I know will be leading us into a bright future.  I think I can speak for all the veterans of Operation Free when I say that being involved with Operation Free has given us all great opportunities, given us another way to serve our country, and has created lifelong friendships. How can we not think positive of the future when you remember all of that.

You understand the hard facts that many in Washington choose to ignore. You are among the 79% of veterans who understand that energy, climate, and national security are inextricably linked and the many millions of Americans who have seen the connection themselves. You know that ending our addiction means we stop funding our enemies and keep $100 million away from Iran every day.

There have been many accomplishments along the way:

Last October, you helped us launch the Veterans for American Power bus tour.  For three weeks, two buses traced across the country, spreading your message of safe, clean, American power.

Later that year, many of you flew into Washington to share your ideas, lobby your Senators, and hear encouraging words from military and national security leaders such as Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus.

In early 2010, in cooperation with our coalition partner VoteVets, we launched “Tough,” our first hugely successful ad starring Purple Heart recipient Chris Miller.  The national ad helped Operation Free break into the mainstream and had many across the country talking about energy in a way that they had never thought of before.

Meanwhile we launched the second leg of the Veterans for American Power tour.  Since October the bus has spread your message over 26,000 miles at more than 175 stops.

Another hugely successful ad, “Boot,” aired all over the country, urging specific Senators to rise above the “bickering” in Washington and take action to tackle comprehensive legislation.

Despite all of this and more, our objective has not yet been fulfilled. The Senate, “exhausted” from their year of hard work, has dropped the ball.  And while their “Spill Bill” cracks down on BP, it doesn’t let them off the hook for real action.  The Senate has abandoned carbon pricing, a vital element to solving climate change and moving us away from oil from hostile nations.

Remind your Senators that they are not off the hook.  They may be tired, but they will never be as weary as those brave men and women deployed around the world protecting our freedoms and our future.  Remind them that, so long as our troops stand in harm’s way, inaction is unacceptable.  We must not relent until the Senate delivers a comprehensive clean energy and climate bill – despite what big oil companies and their lobbyists say.

Thank you for fighting alongside us for the past year.  Your efforts have breathed new life into a decades-old struggle, and will not go to waste.  Victory postponed is not defeat; this fight is still ours to win.

Thank you  for all you have done, and will continue to do for this crucial issue,

The Operation Free Team:
Jonathan Murray
Dave Solimini
Laura Britton
Matt Oberhoffner
James Whitaker
Brendan Flynn
Mary Deering
Whitney Hank
Kouri Marshall
Andy Arens

It is hard to describe the beauty of Alaska; as I took a little time off to ride a bike along Cook Inlet, I could see Mt McKinley many miles away in the distance with its white covering even in July.  What a land of pristine beauty!  Alaskans are justly proud of the state’s natural beauty and want to keep it that way.

The Town Hall with Alaskan veterans, other OpFree vets, and Senator Begich was lively and interactive.  Alaskans are clearly concerned with protecting the environment and several noted the impacts of climate change already being experienced by the Native American Alaskan population.  Some truly sobering stories were told.  Veterans in the audience were quick to grasp the link between our dependence on a single source of energy and the risk that dependence poses on our national security.  It was a great experience.

We followed with interviews with local print, radio and TV media.  The receptions were all the same; warm, friendly and understanding.  The feedback was immediate and vocal during a news-talk radio program: we need to act.

LtGen John Castellaw, USMC (Retired)

Protection comes too late for this oil-covered marsh.

Guest Post by Ashkan Bayatpour

I just spent four hours on a boat in the Gulf of Mexico with fellow veterans and two retired Generals, touring the damage that the oil spill has had on the coast and the economy here in Louisiana. As a Gulf native, I know how much this will hurt the people here, and across America, who depend on the region for their livelihoods. But I also came as a veteran to see just how bad it would be if oil platforms were attacked by terrorist groups.

Seeing miles of damaged coastline really brings home just how unreliable one source of energy is and how vulnerable our dependence has made us – especially for this Navy and Iraq war veteran.

Check out the photos from our trip to the Gulf.

We know from attacks in the Middle East that oil infrastructure – pipelines and platforms – are increasingly targeted by terrorist groups. Being out here on the water made it very clear the massive impact that a terrorist attack on an oil rig would have. And I’m not the only one – We’ve got the Coast Guard standing watch on oil platforms in the Persian Gulf and Senator Jim Webb asking for an accounting of security on domestic offshore rigs.

We’ve put together an album of photos – see what it looks like down on the water.

Of course, the best way to prevent an attack on oil infrastructure is to move beyond oil. Today’s trip reminded me why we’re doing what we’re doing – as it has for so many other Americans who want to see their country secure and prosperous. We’re glad you’re along for the fight.

Ashkan Bayatpour is a veteran of the US Navy.

This bill is the opportunity we’ve been waiting for. For years, Congress has stalled progress on energy security and climate. But the time for dithering and delay is over and the time for action is now. The consequences are too great, and the dangers too real, for us to sit idly by while our enemies grow stronger at our expense.

Fundamental change does not happen without a fight. The partisan games of Congress and the lucrative ploys of lobbyists have always stood in the way of solving America’s problems. That’s why Americans need to stand up, speak out, and join the fight — with military leaders and veterans at our side. Take a moment, sign the pledge to support the American Power Act, and stand up for American security.

We began our media engagement with an editorial board at the Shreveport Times.  I led off with my story of how I became engaged in this movement via studying casualties in Iraq and growing to understand our true national vulnerability to a commodity we do not control.  After my lofty 30,000 ft view of the issue, my fellow veteran told the story of being in convoys delivering fuel in Iraq.  She calmly told a story of being a large, slow moving target for snipers, IEDs and ground attacks as she delivered the lifeblood of our forward operating bases.  In a matter-of-fact manner she related what life on the airport road was like, but declined to discuss her personal experiences of loss, as many of these young heroes do.

From there it was off to meet the Mayor of Shreveport.  Mayor Cedric Glover was interested in the message and then asked the central question, “What would you change?”  We gave him our pat answer on the climate change bill and added some thoughts on open fuel standards, but what he was really asking was, “How does this affect the voters of Shreveport?”  The answer to that is that thousands of young veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan are coming home, do not want to fight for oil again, and are looking to their political leadership for just that: Leadership.  And if they don’t get it, they will hold people accountable at the polls.

From Shreveport we loaded up the compact and drove to New Orleans, staying the night on the outskirts of the 9th District. The bus had finally arrived!  The next day, with several more veterans added to the tour, we met with local television reporters with the bus as our backdrop .  Unfortunately, this was my last day, so after a whirlwind tour (and at least one hurricane), I left the bus and headed home to Tampa.

This tour was most enlightening.  I had the opportunity to meet the great young vets of OpFree and see how passionately they delivered the message of breaking our addiction to oil.  This small group of heroes is growing steadily.  The message that our dependence on a commodity we do not control creates a national security vulnerability is compelling, and no one can question these veterans’ patriotism.  Operation Free is a rising tide in 2010.  If our leadership fails to act on the various energy bills before them, OpFree will be a tsunami in 2012.  It is time to heed this message and act to counter our security risk, our economic drain and the environmental damage done every day, all consequences of our addiction to oil.  It is about responsibility and accountability, two values these veterans understand.

Col. Dan Nolan, US Army (ret.) is CEO of Sabot 6, Inc. based Valrico, Florida  and member of Operation Free.

The Veterans for American Power Tour reached the 25,000 mile mark today as it rolled into New Orleans for a press conference with local veteran and renewable energy company president, Troy Von Otnott.  The tour which has spanned over half of the nation and well over 100 events has been an incredible success for Operation Free – a coalition of national security and veterans organizations discussing the national security threats posed by oil and carbon pollution.  Robin Eckstein, an Iraq veteran who has been a part of the tour since its maiden voyage in October stated, “[the tour] has been one of the best things I have been a part of in a very long time”.  Few outside of the defense community knew about the national security implications of U.S. energy policy before Operation Free and the Veterans for American Power Tour came along, but their efforts have changed how Americans are thinking about fossil fuels and the carbon pollution that is causing destabilizing climate change.

New Orleans is the last stop in Louisiana, it went through Shreveport yesterday to meet with the Shreveport Times and the Mayor of Shreveport, but it is far from over.  The tour continues to roll on back North where it will host events in Arkansas, Tennessee, and Virginia before it makes a 4 day stop in Washington, D.C. to participate in the Earth Day activities on the Capitol Mall and head down the Eastern Shore.  Will the tour hit 30,000 miles?  We’ll see…

25,000 plus miles – check.  Changing how Americans look at clean energy – check.

James Whitaker is the Southern Regional Field Director for the Truman National Security Project based in Washington, D.C.

Until now.

Last Saturday, on a beautiful early Spring day, we braved the winding backcountry roads of rural New Hampshire to visit the Lempster Mountain Wind Power Project and meet the Onnelas, the family that owns the land.  These 12 wind turbines produce a full 24 megawatts of energy — enough to power 10,000 homes.  And all without disrupting the lives of the Onnelas, who live just a few hundred feet away from one of the windmills.

Just as interesting as the wind turbines themselves are the folks who own the land.  Much like the generals and analysts at the Pentagon and CIA who have identified climate change and oil dependency as a security threat, land owner Kevin Onnela is not your typical clean energy advocate.  He drives a well-used pickup truck, drinks Coors Light from the can, and pointedly refers to himself politically as “somewhere between Republican and middle-of-the-road Tea Party.”

But at his heart, Kevin basically wants what most Americans, liberal and conservative, want:  to maintain his self-reliance and live the way he wants to live.

In a larger sense, this should be our goal as a nation as well.  We need to stop relying on petro-dictators who don’t have America’s best interests at heart.  America needs to stand up, take back control, and put together an energy policy that strengthens our security through clean, American power.

In Lempster, on the top of a mountain in rural New Hampshire, we saw the future — the leading edge of a movement towards clean energy that will help us defeat terrorism and make America great again.

So call your Senators now and urge them to support clean energy and climate legislation.

Citizens in both Wrentham and Lowell echoed the same apprehension voiced by Senator Brown during his February audience with Operation Free: that comprehensive reform will drive existing hydrocarbon energy jobs overseas as the American energy portfolio shifts to a more renewable base.  Does this argument hold?  The reality of an increasingly globalized world is that any large-scale business looking to take advantage of economies of scale will send some percentage of its manufacturing jobs overseas.  The rare earth magnets in wind turbine generators and the silicon in solar panels are both likely candidates, as both can be sourced more cheaply in China than the United States.  But accepting this as the end of the story, probing no further, and rejecting comprehensive energy reform out of hand would be a mistake.

Our energy status quo calmly accepts importing 60% of U.S. oil demand from overseas, yet the oil and gas industry still accounts for hundreds of thousands of jobs within our borders.  This is a telling reality: the U.S. energy sector can import products from abroad while still offering a significant number of Americans the employment they desperately need.  Energy reform is an opportunity to refocus our energy demand, not to outsource a vital U.S. industry.  Our nascent clean power industry will end up overseas, however, if the private sector is not offered a stable investment horizon to fund a proposal as ambitious and capital-intensive as repowering America.  Comprehensive energy legislation is the means to this stable end.

The key to generating local energy jobs is local energy demand, and there is plenty of that in the United States.  As we recover from our 2008 recession-driven energy consumption dip, there is no prospect for a demand drawback in the foreseeable future as our population is projected to grow by as much as 100 million before 2050.  Every wind turbine we erect in Iowa and every solar panel we install in Arizona will require an industrious American employee to operate and maintain this equipment.  Americans should rest easy knowing that as our demand for energy increases, domestic jobs will ramp up to feed this growth industry as it expands by orders of magnitude.

Don’t believe the hype about renewable power sending jobs overseas.  The whole point is to stop $1 billion of oil money from flowing out of the U.S. each day.  Responsibly crafted energy reform policy can ensure that today’s petrodollars aren’t converted to the foreign wages of tomorrow.  Contact your Congressional representatives in support of comprehensive energy legislation.  Raising your voice today helps to ensure America’s national security future.