US spy chiefs warn of threat from climate crisis

American intelligence agencies have warned that the United States and its allies will face “a diverse array of threats” in 2021 including “degradation” at home and abroad due to the climate crisis.

In an annual threat assessment, US spy chiefs said that the climate emergency “will continue to fuel disease outbreaks, threaten food and water security, and exacerbate political instability and humanitarian crises”.

The evaluation comes in an unclassified assessment prepared by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) for congressional hearings this week and released on Tuesday, Bloomberg reports.

In the assessment, the agency says that “scientists warn that warming air, land, and sea temperatures create more frequent and variable extreme weather events, including heatwaves, droughts, and floods”.