50 U.S.C. § 3060 — Climate Security Advisory Council

(a) Establishment. The Director of National Intelligence^* must establish a Climate Security Advisory Council^* to help intelligence analysts analyze climate security and its effects on their focus areas, coordinate climate data and analysis between intelligence-community and other Federal elements, and ensure the intelligence community^* gives climate change adequate priority.

(b) Composition. (1) The Director appoints (A) an appropriate National Intelligence Council official as chair; (B) the lead climate and environmental-security analysis official from the CIA, State Department Bureau of Intelligence and Research, National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, Energy Department Office of Intelligence and Counterintelligence^*, Defense Under Secretary for Intelligence and Security’s office, and Defense Intelligence Agency; (C) three appropriate officials from non-intelligence Federal elements responsible for climate prediction, Earth-system observations, or coordination of Federal research and investment about the global environment and its effects on society; and (D) other officials the Director or chair considers appropriate. (2) The chair identifies non-intelligence agencies to provide members, gets their heads’ permission, and performs other directed duties.

(c) Duties. The Council must meet at least quarterly to exchange appropriate data, discuss and implement routine data exchange, and summarize each meeting; assess best practices for climate-security analysis, including public information and clandestinely obtained intelligence; assess prior intelligence-community efforts; assess best practices for climate indications and warnings; recommend adding those practices to analytic training; consult appropriate intelligence and non-intelligence elements to share ongoing work and avoid duplication; work with them to exchange data and establish and discuss routine exchange procedures and to share findings and analysis; assess whether intelligence analysis can inform academic and government-sponsored research; and, if the chair chooses, convene conferences of analysts and non-intelligence personnel on directed subjects.

(d) Annual report. Beginning no later than January 31, 2021, and at least annually afterward, the chair must report to the congressional intelligence committees^* about the Council’s prior-year subsection (c) activities. The report must describe obstacles or gaps affecting the Council’s duties or the intelligence community’s responsiveness to policymaking Federal elements’ climate-security needs and priorities.

(e) Sunset. The Council terminates on December 31, 2024.

(f) Definitions. (1) “Climate security” means climate change’s effects on United States national security and infrastructure, subnational, national, and regional political stability, United States allies’ and partners’ security, and ongoing or possible political violence including unrest, rioting, guerrilla warfare, insurgency, terrorism, rebellion, revolution, civil war, and interstate war. This section does not otherwise define that term. (2) “Climate intelligence indications and warnings” means climate-security developments that may imminently and substantially change political stability or human security in a country or region, or imminently and substantially threaten United States national security, United States allies’ or partners’ military, political, or economic interests, or United States citizens abroad.