Climate Change is a Threat to Everyone

           As discussed in class, key features of realism include a powerful military, state autonomy and power, importance of history, and national interests above all else. It is hard to see how those qualities might play into the climate crisis movement. One of the reasons tackling climate change has been so difficult is that its roots are invisible. We can see physical damages via extreme weather events, melting ice caps, and flooding, but we can't see greenhouse gases or temperature. Realists highlight a physical presence- militarily or otherwise, and climate change does not provide that physical presence.
           In regards to the global climate strikes, a realist would likely disagree with the movement. Tackling climate change requires using less oil, which the military is dependent on and therefore requires demilitarization. It requires many industry changes which may leave a country vulnerable- especially because strategic interests will have to change as well. Moreover, the strikes themselves are comprised mostly of school-age children who can't vote and don't threaten a politician's careers. The strikes haven't been disrupting daily life, don't threaten sovereignty, and don't threaten national interests.
           The strikes themselves may not be of concern to realists. Despite participating in one of the strikes, I too doubt its success in the long run. How long can the momentum last? Will protesting children actually persuade politicians to take action? Will this action even help? Striking feels like all we can do for now.
           However, I would argue that a real realist should be concerned about climate change. Are stability and security not political advantages? Lack of food and clean water, prevalence of disease, and physical destruction will not lead to security and stability. Are future generations not a national interest? If future generations can not survive because of catastrophic changes, there will be no sovereign nation to be concerned about.
           My first blog post was about the most pressing issue in world politics today: climate change. It's hard for me to imagine that climate change is not an issue. Obviously, a realist would not want to decrease the military or appear to be decreasing state power or autonomy through binding international agreements. However, climate change poses a more serious, deadly, and long-lasting threat than any foreign military. It seems to me that a realist would want to tackle that threat in order to maintain power.