A Marshall Plan for the 21st Century: Addressing Climate Change in the Asia-Pacific Through Diplomacy, Development, and Defense
Abstract
The inevitable climate challenges facing the Asia-Pacific territory require a massive whole-of-government approach comparable to the Marshall Plan of 1948. Whilemany political leaders have called for such a plan, no policy currently exists for this region or purpose. With nearly eight trillion dollars in trade revenue passingthrough crucially strategic straits daily, seven of the ten largest militaries in the world (five of which are nuclear capable) operating throughout this territory, and aforecast for nearly exponential population growth, the geopolitical provenance of the United States ties inextricably to this portion of the globe. A document analysisassessing existing diplomatic, developmental, and defensive policies concludes that a modern-day Marshall Plan for the 21st century Asia-Pacific is achievable byrealigning lines of effort within current frameworks. As long as the United States continues to deny climate change, other nation-state actors within the area will riseto fill the void. The United States must commit to the funding, development, and proliferation of clean and sustainable energy solutions which evolve past currentfossil-fuel reliant technologies, and most importantly, be open-source in description and shared with other large polluters throughout the world. Finally, the nationsof the Asian-Pacific realm should contemplate a theater-specific treaty organization. As climate change threatens to destabilize the region, a unified force intent onproviding stabilization efforts, preventing internal conflict and escalation, and enforcing international law deserves consideration and deliberation.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 17, 2019
- Accession Number
- AD1080513
Entities
People
- Adam M. Rollins
Organizations
- Naval Postgraduate School