For decades, the military treated climate crisis as a threat. Now it’s backing away from plans to protect people and bases from extreme weather
This story is from Floodlight, a non-profit newsroom that investigates the powers stalling climate action.
Retired Marine Corps gunnery sergeant Vida Rivera knows heat can be as dangerous as any enemy.
Early in her military career, she collapsed from heat exhaustion while carrying a 65lb pack on a sweltering hike in Quantico, Virginia. Years later in Afghanistan, Rivera drove a truck in temperatures nearing 120F (49C). But she was ready. She had taken a mechanics course – twice – to make sure she could fix the truck’s air conditioning if it failed.
She knew extreme heat could incapacitate her marines. “They need water and good temps like everybody,” she said.
