At Wednesday’s Senate confirmation hearing for the secretary of state nominee, Senator Jeff Merkley of Oregon asked whether he considers climate change a national security issue. Tillerson, until recently the CEO of Exxon Mobil, replied, “I don’t see it as the eminent national security threat that perhaps others do.”
Who are these “others”? President Barack Obama, for one, but also the U.S. military, George W. Bush administration, and CIA Director John Brennan.
Merkley noted that the Syrian civil war was hastened by climate change through drought and displacement. When he brought up the increased likelihood of severe storms, Tillerson said, “There’s some literature out there that suggest that. There’s other literature out there that says it’s inconclusive.”
This is only accurate if you consider the Daily Mail to be literature.