# L Ladies and Gentlemen ofthe Committee, Good evening; thank you for letting me speak here today. My name is Joe Weston. I am aWest Point graduate and atwo-time Veteran ofOperation Iraqi Freedom with the 1''Brigade Combat Team, 82"d Airborne Division. Currently, Iserve in the Army Reserves, am agraduate student atthe University ofChicago Harris School of Public Policy, and today, I represent the Operation Free campaign. Itwasjustover a year ago in North Carolina that Iwas huddled in a parking garage watching atornado pass through downtown Raleigh. As the tornado darkened the sky and passed me by, my friend, an Army helicopter pilot, was minutes from being trapped in a Lowes Home Improvement warehouse that collapsed in Sanford, NC. Nearby, Fort Bragg sustained damage to vehicles, equipment and facilities. Soldiers trainingwere called in from the field and immense work began to get accountability ofdamage across the installation and at our homes. Training, resources and jumps were all postponed and millions ofdollars were sacrificed over these cancelled events alone. 1,706 tornadoes hitthe United States last year, most ofwhich were outside oftornado alley and some as far north as Massachusetts. The severe weather claimed 553 lives and caused an estimated 20 billion dollars in damage. This wasn'tthe first especially deadlyweather in recent memorythat affected our military. Hurricane Katrina devastated the coast of Louisiana, and the 3'd Brigade, 82"d Airborne was sent to fix New Orleans. Myfellow 82"d paratroopers deployed domesticallywhilethere were two wars abroad, reducing our global response capability. While these particularweather patterns cannot be directly linked to climate change, scientists have estimated thatthe effects ofclimate change will be similar. Rising water levels, heat waves, freak storms and changing weather patterns exacerbated by climate change will require increased humanitarian aid and military response. The Department of Defense recognizes that climate change is athreat multiplier- an "accelerant of instability or conflict".' With 30 threatened bases at sea level and troops reactingto instabilities around the world, the Department of Defense has serious stake in this issue. Increasing the regulation ofcarbon fuels will mitigate these risks and drive the free marketto invest in technologythat will reduce the strain on our military.

1 Dept. of Defense. QuadrennialDefense Review. Report. http://www.defense.gov/qdr/images/QDR_as_of_12Feb10_1000.pdf. Published February 2010. Accessed 24 May 2012. Page 85.To those who argue that disasters and instabilitywill happen regardless ofclimate change, I propose the following metaphor: Imagine you visit the Pediatrician's office with your child. Afterthe doctor is finished the examination, he tells you he believes with a strong certainty that your child has afatal condition that, ifleft untreated, will eventually kill your child. There are afew other doctors who believe that your child may not actually have this condition, but, ifthey are wrong, your child will suffer needlessly. Luckily, the treatment is simple: live healthy, exercise, maintain a wholesome diet. This lifestyle change would impose acost on yourfamily, but itwould be minorcompared to the potential downside. Would you undergothis treatment plan for your child? Do you invest in a healthier lifestyleforthe sake ofyour child's life or do you gamble, and playthe odds forthe sake ofyour convenience? Today, I implore decision makers, who are the proverbial parents ofthis nation, to make the smart choice and use the proposed regulation tofurther limit greenhouse gasses. I ask you to implementthis regulation forthe troops, like me, who have had to respond to global instability in 18 hours notice and risk their lives wherever and whenever they are called. The risk of not implementingthis carbon reduction policy is too great to ignore. The military understandsthis risk and the importance of risk mitigation. Implementing acarbon limitation policy will not only reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but decrease the chances of future disasters that distract our militaryfrom actual securitythreats. Thank you very much.



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