World map showing surface temperature trends (°C per decade) between 1950 and 2014. Source: NASA GISS

The director of the Penn State Center for Solutions to Weather and Climate Risk, David Titley, was recently interviewed for an article at Politico.

David W. Titley

Titley, a retired rear admiral who spent 32 years in the military, is quoted as saying, “While this thing looks pretty innocuous, it has the potential to be pretty important.”

Here is an excerpt from the story:

“Titley, who formerly led the Navy’s Task Force on Climate Change, said that he was careful how he referred to policies during his time in government. ‘There’s a program I got through the Department of Defense called our system prediction capability,’ he said. ‘We take forecasts out to 30 years. Some people might call that short-term climate. I didn’t. The word climate is nowhere in that budget document.’

“The Senate’s defense spending bill, which passed the Senate Appropriations Committee in late May but has not yet received a vote on the floor, leaves the climate change directive intact. …

“But experts worry that if it does find its way into law, the risks are high; such preparations are necessary now, they warn, before it’s too late. ‘It’s like people who drive down the road and all they can do is look 10 feet in front of them on the bumper and they’re all going about 75 mph,’ said Titley. ‘That’s great until three cars up there are stopped. You don’t see it until you’re all of a sudden slamming on the brakes.’ ”

Read more at Politico.