In Nicaragua, the military has a new mission — fighting climate change and, specifically, the illegal loggers that are exacerbating deforestation in the country.
The Ecological Battalion’s 580 soldiers are currently engaging in Operation Green Gold, finding and intercepting loads of illegally logged timber.
Deforestation accounts for a huge portion of carbon pollution — up to one-fifth of global emissions. In Nicargua, they’re already feeling the effects: The BBC reports that average temperatures in the country have risen 5.4 degrees Fahrenheit in the past 50 years and that each year $200 million worth of agricultural production is being lost. That’s a threat to national security if we ever heard one, so why not call in the troops?
