U.S. Navy adapting to climate change, transitioning to cleaner energy sources
SAN FRANCISCO -- While most people picture aircraft carriers and destroyers when they think of the Navy, Meredith Berger, Assistant Secretary of the Navy Energy, Installations and Environment, sees a major opportunity to combat climate change.
"We are a seafaring service so there has always been that intrinsic connection to the ocean and the environment," Berger told KPIX 5 in an exclusive interview. "It is kind of built into the services and we have no other choice but climate action."
A Navy report released earlier this year described climate change as "one of the most destabilizing forces of our time," and set a goal of producing net-zero emissions by 2050.
"No matter where you look or go people are talking about climate change," Berger said. "An existential threat is what you hear a lot and you turn to the military. It's to make us better warfighters so when you think about climate we think about it as mission readiness."
Berger says that mission readiness includes doing their part to prevent natural disasters like hurricanes and wildfires that Marines deploy to for aid and assistance.
"When we are asking our marine corps to prepare to do whatever the nation calls on them to do and if they need to go fight and win they are set up to do that in the best way possible," she continued. "It's a warfighting imperative."
California is one of the biggest domestic leaders in shifting to renewable energy, something the undersecretary says she's keeping a close eye on.
"The navy of course is of course a big consumer of fossil fuels ships planes, but some of the energy sources that we've been able to move towards on the installations," said Berger.
While aircraft carriers and destroyers may not see a shift to electric power soon, Berger says that some of the navy's fleet is already starting to make changes.
"Our vehicle fleet, yes we're looking in line with the California trend and the national trend to make that transition to electrification," she said.
While mission readiness is the top priority, Berger knows a shift from the navy can have a ripple effect around the world.
"It's not just when the crisis strikes, it's in the leadup, it's being proactive, being cognizant so we are trying to stave off crises and conflict at the end of the day no one wants to have conflict we want to make sure it's deterred we want a peaceful environment so it say we mean what we say when we say it."