50 U.S.C. § 3060: Climate Security Advisory…

Summary

The Director of National Intelligence must create a Climate Security Advisory Council to help intelligence analysts study how climate change affects security. The Council is led by a chair from the National Intelligence Council and includes lead climate officials from six intelligence elements (CIA; Bureau of Intelligence and Research at State; National Geospatial‑Intelligence Agency; the Department of Energy’s intelligence office; the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security; and the Defense Intelligence Agency), plus three officials from non‑intelligence federal agencies that handle climate prediction, Earth observations, or coordinate climate research and investments. The chair must pick which non‑intelligence agencies send people and get permission from those agency heads. The Council must meet at least four times a year to share data, set up routine data‑sharing steps, keep meeting notes, find and recommend best ways to analyze climate security and warnings, suggest how to add these lessons to analyst training, coordinate to avoid duplicate work, and, when needed, hold analyst conferences. The Council must send a report to the congressional intelligence committees by January 31, 2021 and at least once each year after that, describing its work and any problems or gaps it found. The Council ends on December 31, 2024. Climate security here means how climate change affects U.S. national security (including infrastructure), political stability at local to regional levels, the safety of allies and partners, and risks of political violence (for example unrest, insurgency, terrorism, or war). Climate intelligence indications and warnings mean climate‑related events that could soon and seriously change political stability or human security in a place, or could soon and seriously threaten U.S. national security, allies’ interests, or U.S. citizens overseas.

Title 50, §3060

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(a)Establishment

The Director of National Intelligence shall establish a Climate Security Advisory Council for the purpose of— (1)

(2)facilitating coordination between the elements of the intelligence community and elements of the Federal Government that are not elements of the intelligence community in collecting data on, and conducting analysis of, climate change and climate security; and

(3)ensuring that the intelligence community is adequately prioritizing climate change in carrying out its activities.

(b)Composition of Council

(1)Members

The Council shall be composed of the following individuals appointed by the Director of National Intelligence:

(A)An appropriate official from the National Intelligence Council, who shall chair the Council.

(B)The lead official with respect to climate and environmental security analysis from—

(i)the Central Intelligence Agency;

(ii)the Bureau of Intelligence and Research of the Department of State;

(iii)the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency;

(iv)the Office of Intelligence and Counterintelligence of the Department of Energy;

(v)the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security; and

(vi)the Defense Intelligence Agency.

(C)Three appropriate officials from elements of the Federal Government that are not elements of the intelligence community that are responsible for—

(i)providing decision makers with a predictive understanding of the climate;

(ii)making observations of our Earth system that can be used by the public, policymakers, and to support strategic decisions; or

(iii)coordinating Federal research and investments in understanding the forces shaping the global environment, both human and natural, and their impacts on society.

(D)Any other officials as the Director of National Intelligence or the chair of the Council may determine appropriate.

(2)Responsibilities of chair

The chair of the Council shall have responsibility for— (A)

(B)securing the permission of the relevant agency heads for the participation of such individuals on the Council; and

(C)any other duties that the Director of National Intelligence may direct.

(c)Duties and responsibilities of Council

The Council shall carry out the following duties and responsibilities:

(1)To meet at least quarterly to—

(A)exchange appropriate data between elements of the intelligence community and elements of the Federal Government that are not elements of the intelligence community;

(B)discuss processes for the routine exchange of such data and implementation of such processes; and

(C)prepare summaries of the business conducted at each meeting.

(2)To assess and determine best practices with respect to the analysis of climate security, including identifying publicly available information and intelligence acquired through clandestine means that enables such analysis.

(3)To assess and identify best practices with respect to prior efforts of the intelligence community to analyze climate security.

(4)To assess and describe best practices for identifying and disseminating climate intelligence indications and warnings.

(5)To recommend methods of incorporating analysis of climate security and the best practices identified under paragraphs (2) through (4) into existing analytic training programs.

(6)To consult, as appropriate, with other elements of the intelligence community that conduct analysis of climate change or climate security and elements of the Federal Government that are not elements of the intelligence community that conduct analysis of climate change or climate security, for the purpose of sharing information about ongoing efforts and avoiding duplication of existing efforts.

(7)To work with elements of the intelligence community that conduct analysis of climate change or climate security and elements of the Federal Government that are not elements of the intelligence community that conduct analysis of climate change or climate security—

(A)to exchange appropriate data between such elements, establish processes, procedures and practices for the routine exchange of such data, discuss the implementation of such processes; and

(B)to enable and facilitate the sharing of findings and analysis between such elements.

(8)To assess whether the elements of the intelligence community that conduct analysis of climate change or climate security may inform the research direction of academic work and the sponsored work of the United States Government.

(9)At the discretion of the chair of the Council, to convene conferences of analysts and nonintelligence community personnel working on climate change or climate security on subjects that the chair shall direct.

(d)Annual report

(1)Requirement

Not later than January 31, 2021, and not less frequently than annually thereafter, the chair of the Council shall submit, on behalf of the Council, to the congressional intelligence committees a report describing the activities of the Council as described in subsection (c) during the year preceding the year during which the report is submitted.

(2)Matters included

Each report under paragraph (1) shall include a description of any obstacles or gaps relating to—

(A)the Council fulfilling its duties and responsibilities under subsection (c); or

(B)the responsiveness of the intelligence community to the climate security needs and priorities of the policymaking elements of the Federal Government.

(e)Sunset

The Council shall terminate on December 31, 2024.

(f)Definitions

In this section: (1) Climate security

(2)Climate intelligence indications and warnings

The term “climate intelligence indications and warnings” means developments relating to climate security with the potential to—

(A)imminently and substantially alter the political stability or degree of human security in a country or region; or

(B)imminently and substantially threaten—

(i)the national security of the United States;

(ii)the military, political, or economic interests of allies and partners of the United States; or

(iii)citizens of the United States abroad.

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Amendments

2023—Subsec. (e). Pub. L. 118–31 substituted “

December 31, 2024” for “

December 31, 2025”. 2022—Subsec. (b)(1)(B)(v). Pub. L. 117–103, § 404(b)(1), inserted “and Security” after “for Intelligence”. Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 117–103, § 404(a), designated existing provisions as par. (1), inserted heading, and added par. (2). Subsec. (e). Pub. L. 117–103, § 404(b)(3), substituted “

December 31, 2025” for “the date that is 4 years after

December 20, 2019”. Pub. L. 117–103, § 404(b)(2), redesignated subsec. (e) relating to definitions as (f). Subsec. (f). Pub. L. 117–103, § 404(b)(2), redesignated subsec. (e) relating to definitions as (f). 2020—Subsec. (c)(4). Pub. L. 116–260, § 405(b), substituted “intelligence indications” for “security indicators”. Subsecs. (d), (e). Pub. L. 116–260, § 618, added subsec. (d) and redesignated former subsec. (d) as (e) relating to sunset of Council.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Initial Appointments Pub. L. 116–92, div. E, title LIII, § 5321(c), Dec. 20, 2019, 133 Stat. 2129, provided that: “Not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act [Dec. 20, 2019], the Director of National Intelligence shall appoint the members of the Council under section 120 of the National Security Act of 1947 [50 U.S.C. 3060], as added by subsection (a).”

§3060 Climate Security Advisory Council