CIA Shutters Climate Center, But Continues its Work

Annie Snider of Greenwire
confirmed on Monday that after more than three years the CIA has closed its
Center for Climate Change and National Security, the office responsible for the
intelligence agency’s analysis of the national security implications of climate
change.

According to the report, the center was closed due to
continuing pressure from congressional representatives and dwindling internal
support for the work. “Especially since Panetta left, there wasn’t a lot of
love for this at the CIA,” one former defense official told Greenwire.

“The exact timing of the closure and the reasons behind it are not clear.
Those close to the center speculate that the move may have been intended to
pre-empt cuts from Congress. The total U.S. intelligence budget has declined
for the past two years, dipping to $75.4 billion for fiscal 2012 after peaking at
$80.1 billion in fiscal 2010,” Greenwire reported.

Nevertheless, the agency has a continued stake in assessing the impact of
climate change on U.S. national security interests and will continue the work “under
other auspices,” the report said.

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