US Army publishes first Climate Strategy

The US Army has published its first-ever Climate Strategy as part of efforts to help accelerate the fight against climate change.

Commenting on the development, Secretary of the Army, Christine Wormuth, said: “The time to address climate change is now. The effects of climate change have taken a toll on supply chains, damaged our infrastructure, and increased risks to Army Soldiers and families due to natural disasters and extreme weather.”

The strategy includes the US Army:

• Installing a microgrid on every installation by 2035.
• Ensuring a carbon-pollution free on-site energy generation at all its sites by 2030.
• Implements installation-wide building control systems by 2028.
• Achieve a 50% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from all Army buildings by 2032, from a 2005 baseline.
• Attain net-zero greenhouse gas emissions from Army installations by 2045.
• Field an all-electric light-duty non-tactical vehicle fleet by 2027 and field an all-electric non-tactical vehicle fleet by 2035.
• Include climate change threat mitigation into Army land management decisions.
• Incorporate the latest climate and environmental science into stationing, construction, and fielding decisions.

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The US Army says the strategy will help ensure resilient power and water supply across its 130 installations across the globe.

The strategy is also expected to help the US Army to reduce its energy costs with up to $740 million being spent on energy per annum.

The electricity purchased by the US Army added 4.1 million tonnes of greenhouse gases in 2020, and as such, the new strategy will enable the army to play a key role in the decarbonisation of energy and sustainability of the environment, according to a statement.

Buildings and site energy and water management tools and practices the US Army will invest in will also help reduce operational energy and water use by 2050.

Wormuth, added: “The Army must adapt across our entire enterprise and purposefully pursue greenhouse gas mitigation strategies to reduce climate risks. If we do not take action now, across our installations, acquisition and logistics, and training, our options to mitigate these risks will become more constrained with each passing year.”

Find out more about the Climate Strategy.