Sanders: "Climate change is directly related to the growth of terrorism."

[Renew Deal]

I have my doubts about this statement, but setting that aside, I think this line is a major loser. It will become a negative campaign ad if Sanders becomes the nominee. It seems like such an exaggeration that it will hurt the people trying to deal with climate change and could hurt the Democratic party.

[beam me up scottie]

1. O'Malley said it first and they're both right.

Fact-checking the link between climate change and ISIS

"Absurd," "embarrassing," and "brazenly silly" were some of the insults hurled at Democratic presidential candidate Martin O’Malley when he suggested in July that climate change contributed to the rise of ISIS. Despite the derision, the former governor of Maryland continues to stand by his talking point.

...

Our ruling

O’Malley argued that "the cascading effects" of climate change contributed to the rise of ISIS

The O’Malley campaign referred us to a credible March 2015 study that supports his point. According to the study, a drought in Syria in the 2000s displaced millions of refugees and added to discontent that eventually erupted into war. While the study does not mention ISIS by name, the authors say O’Malley is simply taking their argument one step further.

Experts agreed that the drought, spurred by climate change, was one of many factors that led to the Syrian conflict. O’Malley’s phrasing suggests he understands this and is careful not overstate it.

We rate his claim Mostly True.

http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2015/sep/23/martin-omalley/fact-checking-link-between-climate-change-and-isis/

[Renew Deal]

4. So I was correct

I don't know if there is any good way of making that claim. It might be better to back off of it.

[beam me up scottie]

11. I don't think Bernie or Martin want to dumb down or deny science.

That may hurt them with the idiocracy but I can't fault either of them for wanting to bring up an important issue - climate change is fueling the rise in global terrorism.

[PowerToThePeople]

2. Truth, Sanders speaks it.

He gets my vote.

[HerbChestnut]

3. Comes from our own CIA.

[Renew Deal]

5. It might help if he said "The CIA says that terrorism is directly related to climate change."

I know it's an appeal to authority, but I think it's necessary in this case.

[HerbChestnut]

6. He didn't tonight, but he has in the past.

Probably just one of those moments in a debate where the mind works faster than the mouth.

[Cheese Sandwich]

12. Yeah it would be a lot better to say that.

Even if it's true it sounds weird to a lot of people

[MrWendel]

7. How does ..

Climate change invoke terrorists shooting up restaurants, rock concerts, and suicide bombings?

[Renew Deal]

9. A friend just sent me these...

https://inis.iaea.org/search/search.aspx?orig_q=RN:41064600

http://climateandsecurity.org/tag/cia/

http://www.ipcc.ch

[MrWendel]

13. Good read. Thanks

[Recursion]

8. That's directly from a Pentagon report

Why the hell are we paying so much for these reports if nobody reads them?

[BainsBane]

10. Actually the military and security agencies have been making this point

And this time he at least gave some explanation as to why, unlike during the first debate. But it is a complex issue and hard to discuss within the parameters of these presidential debates.

I don't think it's necessarily going to hurt the party, but Fox and similar outlets would make a lot of it--if they didn't so desperately want Bernie to be the Democratic nominee.

[earthside]

14. That is the position of the Obama administration.

The Link Between Climate Change And ISIS Is Real
http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2015/07/23/3683536/omalley-climate-change-isis/

Researchers Link Syrian Conflict to a Drought Made Worse by Climate Change
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/03/science/earth/study-links-syria-conflict-to-drought-caused-by-climate-change.html

Hot Zone
Is climate change destabilizing Iraq?
http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/future_tense/2014/06/isis_water_scarcity_is_climate_change_destabilizing_iraq.html

Global warming could increase terrorism, official says
http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/06/25/climate.change.security/index.html?eref=rss_tech

Global Warming Report Says Climate Change Could Fuel Terrorism And Migration
http://www.techtimes.com/articles/68632/20150714/global-warming-report-says-climate-change-could-fuel-terrorism-and-migration.htm

Terror Rising from the Desert
We ignore climate change's effect on the Sahara at our peril.
http://www.usnews.com/opinion/articles/2014/02/20/global-warming-could-cause-more-islamic-terrorism-in-africa

Pentagon Signals Security Risks of Climate Change
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/14/us/pentagon-says-global-warming-presents-immediate-security-threat.html?_r=0

[litlbilly]

15. You do know that a 3 year drout in syria caused what is happening there?

Farmers were facing famine and the gov wouldn't help. Sounds to me like that could cause some problems. So, yes, climate change is related no matter what you think about it,

[artislife]

22. Exactly, it is only going to get worse.

People leaving droughts, going to cities that cannot handle the influx of people....powder keg.

[femmedem]

16. Obama said the same thing this spring at the United States Coast Guard Academy commencement

President Barack Obama linked climate change to the emergence of the Islamic terrorist group Boko Haram and “the early unrest in Syria” during a commencement speech at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in New London, Conn., on Wednesday. Al Nusra Front, an al Qaeda affiliate, and the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL)--now the Islamic State--were early factors in the Syrian rebellion.

“Understand climate change did not cause the conflicts we see around the world. Yet, what we also know is that severe drought helped to create the instability in Nigeria that was exploited by the terrorist group Boko Haram. It’s now believed that drought and crop failures and high food prices helped fuel the early unrest in Syria, which descended into civil war in the heart of the Middle East,” he said.

More:

[drray23]

17. I dont think its the case right now

and advancing this argument right after the tragedy in Paris is tone deaf.
It is however true that in the coming decades, climate change will lead to conflicts as it will force groups to relocate or compete for ressources. Its a well known fact that climate change will be a factor in future conflicts. I think the pentagon had studies on this and this was part of their long term outlook.

[Turbineguy]

18. The growth of terrorism is directly related

to the growth of financing that terrorism.

[PBass]

19. It may be true (Bernie's premise) if you drill down, but it's a fairly wonky discussion,

and the wonky approach is a consistent loser at the polls.

Bernie is simply not running a good campaign.

[riderinthestorm]

20. I hate that truth is an expedient bump on the road.

who cares if the line is a "major loser".

Hello?

It's truth

[Renew Deal]

21. You can't get anything done if you lose.

I think that if they're going to use the line they need to back it up with something. I don't think voters are savvy enough to understand it in light of what happened yesterday.

[riderinthestorm]

24. Agreed but those watching tonight are partisans

sometimes the truth just needs to get said for a future debate.

[artislife]

23. Yup

but "winning" means something different to everybody.

I would like the world to win or at least the planet.

[riderinthestorm]

25. We're on the same page

[artislife]

26. Yes we are