Tipsheet

Biden Issues Warning About 'Greatest Threat' Facing America and Promises He's Not Joking

Leah Barkoukis
Leah Barkoukis  |  June 10, 2021 9:00 AM

President Biden told U.S. servicemembers on Wednesday that top Pentagon officials consider climate change to be the “greatest physical threat” to U.S. national security. 

He recalled a meeting he had with the military when he first became vice president under Obama, where they were briefed on the greatest threats to the country. 

“This is not a joke,” he told the Air Force personnel based in England.  “You know what the Joint Chiefs told us the greatest physical threat facing America was? Global warming. 

"There will be significant population movements, fights over land, millions of people leaving places because they’re literally sinking below the sea in Indonesia, because of the fights over what is arable land anymore," he continued.

Noting that he’ll be in meetings with G-7 and NATO partners in the coming days, Biden said combatting climate change would require a commitment from these countries as well.

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"To tackle this century’s most pressing challenges, we have to do it together," urged Biden. “We must all commit to an ambitious climate action if we’re going to prevent the worst impacts of climate change, limiting global warming to no more than 1.5 degrees Celsius, and lead the global — the global transition to clean energy technology." 

As one Twitter user pointed out, Biden made the remark ahead of a meeting with Russia's Vladimir Putin, who presents a much greater threat. 

"Biden calls climate change the most dangerous threat to US security right before sitting down with Putin, the actual most dangerous clear and present threat to US security," tweeted Garry Kasparov, chairman of the Human Rights Foundation.

Others said China's the real threat.

Many also pointed out that Biden has previously said “terrorism from white supremacy is the most lethal threat to the homeland today.”