To the editor:

In response to a recent letter by Phil Drietz, I want to draw attention to a remarkable document on climate change and national security. On Sept. 24, 64 former military and security leaders endorsed “A Climate Security Plan for America.” It’s signed by Rear Admiral David Titley, former Oceanographer and Navigator of the Navy and General Larry D. Welch, former Chief of Staff of the U.S. Air Force, along with many others.

Here’s an excerpt: “Climate change is a threat that shapes the entire geostrategic environment, including our relationship with key regional powers, nearpeer competitors, rogue states and fragile nations — and in profoundly destabilizing ways.”

It’s important to look to independent organizations like the military when evaluating the threat posed by climate change. Because our armed services depend on scientific evidence to assess risk, they are less amenable to politicized science.

The U.S. military has expressed concern about climate change since the George W. Bush Administration, and dozens of Defense Department documents on this issue can be accessed at climateandsecurity.org.

Urgently reducing greenhouse gas emissions and funding adaptation should be top priorities for every politician who is concerned about national security and global stability.

Terry Hansen

Hales Corners, Wis.