Pete Hegseth on Climate Change
TL;DR
Pete Hegseth actively opposes climate change planning within the Defense Department, calling many studies irrelevant 'crap'.
Key Points
He ordered the elimination of climate planning within the Department of Defense in 2025.
The Secretary called Pentagon climate change studies that focus on environmental risks 'crap' in March 2025.
This policy shift reverses previous Department of Defense standards sharpening environmental and climate readiness measures.
Summary
Pete Hegseth's core position on Climate Change centers on a strong opposition to its integration into defense policy and military readiness planning. As Secretary, he ordered the elimination of climate planning within the Pentagon, arguing that such initiatives represent misplaced priorities that distract from the primary mission of national security. He has characterized various climate-related studies and reports as irrelevant, using dismissive language toward the established scientific consensus informing climate adaptation strategies for military installations. This stance directly contradicts the previous administration's efforts to embed climate risk assessment across the Department of Defense.
This opposition has broader implications for the DoD's strategic outlook, as evidenced by the cancellation of programs that tracked climate change's impact on readiness and infrastructure. Lawmakers have publicly challenged this direction, asserting that ignoring escalating environmental risks, such as sea-level rise impacting bases, threatens national security interests. Hegseth's perspective frames climate change mitigation as a non-essential distraction, prioritizing traditional military readiness metrics over what critics term essential climate-informed preparedness.
Key Quotes
The @DeptofDefense does not do climate change crap. We do training and warfighting.
no more climate change worship
Frequently Asked Questions
Pete Hegseth holds a strongly negative view regarding the integration of climate change planning into the Department of Defense's primary functions. He has taken direct action to eliminate programs that focus on environmental risks, such as sea-level rise affecting military bases. For him, these efforts distract from core national security missions.
Yes, Pete Hegseth has actively worked to reverse previous climate-focused policies within the DoD since taking office. He specifically ordered the end of climate planning and study initiatives he deemed non-essential. This action represents a significant shift away from the previous administration's focus on climate readiness.
Pete Hegseth publicly stated that certain climate change studies being conducted by the Pentagon were 'crap' in early 2025. He views the Department of Defense's involvement in tracking climate change effects as a deviation from its purpose. His directive mandated flushing these climate change policies.
Sources9
Hegseth Orders Elimination of Pentagon Climate Planning, but Wants Extreme Weather Preparedness
This Week: Defense Department Sharpens Standards, Flushes Climate Change Policies
Letter to Secretary Hegseth on Climate Readiness
The Pentagon Retreats From Climate Fight as Heat and Storms Slam Troops
Hegseth: Pentagon, Navy to cancel climate change-focused studies
Climate Change and National Security: Hegseth, Defense Department, Sea-Level Rise, Military Bases in Florida
Secretary Hegseth says the DoD does not do climate change planning
U.S. military cancels climate change studies that Pentagon chief calls 'crap'
Warren, Lawmakers to Hegseth: Ending DoD Climate Change Programs Threatens National Security, Puts American Lives and Billions of Taxpayer Dollars at Risk
* This is not an exhaustive list of sources.