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Obama Orders Climate Plans From U.S. National Security Agencies

  • White House says new data could impact agency budget requests
  • Presidential memo signed Wednesday creates new climate panel
President Barack Obama speaks at the U.S.-Africa Business Forum at the Plaza Hotel on Sept. 21, 2016, in New York City.

President Barack Obama speaks at the U.S.-Africa Business Forum at the Plaza Hotel on Sept. 21, 2016, in New York City.

Photographer: Drew Angerer/Getty Images
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President Barack Obama is ordering 20 federal agencies with national security-related missions to consider the impact of climate change in their planning, amid warnings from scientists that rising temperatures could destabilize regions across the globe.

In a memorandum signed Wednesday, Obama established a new panel to provide national security agencies with better data about the potential impacts of climate change. The expectation is that officials will integrate predictions of severe weather and other climate-change impacts as they craft long-term plans to protect U.S. interests.