The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has participated in exercises in preparation for climate change crises, according to a report from War Room.
A “Scenarios Workshop” from the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency’s (CISA) National Risk Management Center is designed to “provoke new lines of thinking by involving broad participation from leaders in government, industry, non-profit organizations, think tanks, and academia to identify mitigating solutions for emerging and evolving risks.”
One scenario, called “Water Woes,” explains what might occur if “regions of the United States increasingly find themselves threatened by either too much or too little water.”
“In 2029, extreme weather has come to feel like the norm; the country is a patchwork of regions either inundated with floods and hurricanes or parched by drought and choked by wildfires,” the scenario’s description says, explaining three reasons for water crises: “(1) the growing effects of climate change; (2) aging water infrastructure; and (3) breakdowns in public trust.”
Another scenario, called “Great Power Disruption,” sees the United States in a “new chapter of great power competition, this time driven by competition for technological leadership.”
“By 2030, despite achieving considerable gains in onshoring the manufacture of critical technologies, the United States faces an uncertain future about whether its policies and investments over the past decade will be sustainable absent permanent government subsidies and continued protectionism,” the description adds. “Furthermore, protectionist trade and investment policies have limited U.S. access to several international markets. Meanwhile, the emergence of artificial intelligence has reshaped the landscape for both cyber offense and defense.”
A third scenario, titled “Day Zero,” describes another water crisis and how it may affect the energy sector.
“Energy production is a water-intensive process, as is the production of necessary equipment,” it reads. “The author of the scenario’s fictitious essay advocates for approaching water resources more holistically: examining demand and exploring solutions across jurisdictions (where they draw from the same water sources) and sectors, most critically the energy and agriculture sectors.”
The simulations come as CISA has also interfered with U.S. elections. The agency censored social media posts that questioned election integrity and mail-in voting leading up to the 2020 election.