President Obama, speaking to the United Nations this week, cast climate change unequivocally as a threat to national security. He told the General Assembly, “Our efforts to end conflicts will be eclipsed by wars over refugees and resources. Development will be devastated by drought and famine.” The President echoed the sentiments of hawkish-sounding lobby groups, such as the Partnership for a Secure America and the American Security Project, that are promoting cap-and-trade “energy legislation” as vital for national security. Catastrophic climate change, they claim, could become a “threat multiplier” as droughts, pestilences, floods, and famines purportedly caused by global warming spark and exacerbate conflicts overseas.

Behind this movement is an unlikely alliance of national security hawks hoping to boost their budget while reducing American dependence on foreign oil and greens looking to enhance their credibility with centrists and conservatives.