Royal Navy is told to 'get a grip' over plans to make all sailors attend compulsory courses on how climate change may impact defence

The Royal Navy has been told to ‘get a grip’ over plans to make all sailors attend compulsory courses on climate change.

A leaked briefing paper has suggested all Navy personnel could be forced to attend online training sessions regarding how climate change may impact defence.

It also reveals the Navy’s climate change and sustainability unit is ‘exploring opportunities’ to pay for sailors to study postgraduate courses on global warming.

Britain’s warships could also be boarded by environmental scientists for them to conduct research, the paper says.

Andrew Montford, director of the Net Zero Watch think tank, said Defence Secretary Grant Shapps ‘needs to get a grip’ on the plans.

A leaked briefing paper has suggested all Navy personnel could be forced to attend online training sessions regarding how climate change may impact defence

Britain’s warships could also be boarded by environmental scientists for them to conduct research, the paper says. Picture shows Type 23 frigate HMS Richmond

Andrew Montford, director of the Net Zero Watch think tank, said Defence Secretary Grant Shapps (pictured) ‘needs to get a grip’ on the plans

‘Net zero zealots will sacrifice anything and everything to their irrational faith,’ he said.

‘Economic security and energy security have already been tossed aside, so it’s no surprise to see national security taking a back seat as well.’

The paper goes on to say that climate change could worsen ‘gender inequality’, ‘threatens peace’ and that ‘globally rising sea levels’ could damage ‘ports and maritime infrastructure’.

Elsewhere in the paper, which has been seen by The Telegraph, references are made to a number of green initiatives already in operation throughout the navy.

This includes the ‘defence green network’ which is made up of sailors who ‘enjoy regular informal webinars’ on the environment.

Craig Mackinlay MP, chairman of the Parliament Net Zero Scrutiny Group, said that ‘nothing surprises’ him anymore.

He said: ‘The green blob keeps expanding and our public institutions appear to enjoy nothing better than getting distracted by fashionable causes.

‘The Royal Navy once inspired awe and admiration but that legacy is being squandered.’

Craig Mackinlay MP (pictured), chairman of the Parliament Net Zero Scrutiny Group, said: ‘The green blob keeps expanding and our public institutions appear to enjoy nothing better than getting distracted by fashionable causes’

In 2021 the Royal Navy boasted its two new patrol ships, HMS Tamar (pictured|) and Spey, were the ‘greenest since the days of sail’

A Navy spokesman said: ‘The Royal Navy has a long history of conservation and sustainability and as mariners, we appreciate the vital importance of the sea to our nation and as a source of life for the planet.

‘That’s why the Integrated Review and the Defence Command Paper outlines how climate change presents challenges for our security. This activity is part of how we understand and address the issues we face.’

The climate change proposals come after a number of recent interventions by the Royal Navy on the issue.

In 2021 it boasted its two new patrol ships, HMS Tamar and Spey, were the ‘greenest since the days of sail’.

The ships use a selective catalytic reduction system to reduce emissions of nitrogen oxide, and it also breaks down its wastewater before discharging it into the ocean.

All water on board is also treated with ultraviolet light to sanitise the water which means the ships won’t carry invasive species around the world in their tanks.

The Royal Navy claims its new generation of warships, the Type 26 frigate being built on the Clyde near Glasgow, ‘will be even greener’ and will use the latest technology and shipbuilding practices to minimise any impact on the environment.

The Royal Navy claims its new generation of warships, the Type 26 frigate being built on the Clyde near Glasgow (pictured), will use the latest technology and shipbuilding practices to minimise any impact on the environment

HMS Prince of Wales’s (pictured, foreground) had to lead a Nato exercise at last minute after the vessel’s sister ship HMS Queen Elizabeth (background) had a rusty propellor

Lt Gen Nugee (pictured) is a retired senior British Army officer and the Lead of the Ministry of Defence’s 2021 Climate Change and Sustainability Review. He spoke at a ‘Defence and Climate Change’ session in 2022

Lt Gen Nugee said: ‘The combination of rising sea level over time and more severe storms, which is another feature of climate change, means that our ports are going to be more difficult to use frankly, and maybe ultimately underwater.’ Pictured: Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth docked at Portsmouth Naval Base during a lightning storm

One of the Navy’s new flagship aircraft carriers, HMS Queen Elizabeth, had to be withdrawn from a Nato exercise recently due to rust on its propeller shaft.

READ MORE: ‘I hope it hasn’t broken down AGAIN’: Royal Navy chiefs cancel departure of £3bn warship HMS Prince of Wales at the last minute – after it was meant to take Big Lizzie’s place at NATO drills

However there have been prior warnings about how the nature of war will change due to climate change.

In November 2022 the Ministry of Defence warned climate change will act as a ‘thermal blanket’ and cause the engines of British warships to fail.

Lt Gen Richard Nugee, who offers guidance to the MoD on making defence more sustainable, said ships generally rely on the cold seas to cool their engines, and therefore they ‘might have a problem’ if global warming raises the water temperature.

The MoD’s climate adviser claimed that if both the Antarctic and Greenland Ice Sheets were to melt, sea levels could rise by 33 feet (10 metres).

He said: ‘In practical terms, that would mean the runway, for example, in Gibraltar would be underwater.

‘So would, say, Port Stanley and in the Falklands, but even Portsmouth and Devonport could not cope with 10 meters of sea level.’

A World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) Report published in May found that ocean heat had reached a record high in 2021.

Ships generally rely on the cold seas to cool their engines, and military chiefs have warned they ‘might have a problem’ if global warming raises the water temperature. Pictured: Royal Navy’s HMS Montrose patrolling the Gulf of Oman

It has been predicted a recession of the ice caps would give Beijing’s navy access to patrol the High North. Pictured: China’s Liaoning aircraft carrier

A 2021 report suggested military vehicles could be electric in future, with others running with fuel and parts that have been made from recycled material

In December 2022 Britain’s Chief of the Defence staff warned the melting of the polar ice caps would allow China’s naval fleet to penetrate the Atlantic, dramatically increasing the reach of Beijing’s military power.

A recession of the ice caps would see trade routes open up, allowing ships to sail directly from the north of Europe to Asia in far shorter time frames, but would also enable China’s rapidly expanding navy to patrol the High North.

In 2021 the Climate Change and Sustainability Review warned that climate change was ‘changing the way our military fight, live and train’.

The report also suggested that military vehicles could be electric in future, with others running with fuel and parts that have been made from recycled material.

The entire Armed Forces will have to hit net zero by 2050 as part of the Government’s total target.

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