NATO cannot remain a fossil fuel alliance: Deputy secretary-general

By Beyza Binnur Donmez

VILNIUS, Lithuania (AA) - NATO cannot remain a fossil fuel alliance, NATO Deputy Secretary-General Mircea Geoana said Wednesday in Lithuania's capital Vilnius.

"We must adopt," Geoana said at the signing ceremony of the Climate Change and Security Centre of Excellence Memorandum of Understanding on the sidelines of the NATO summit.

NATO needs to operate in a greener way without compromising on military effectiveness, he added.

"Climate change is an existential threat to the future of our planet and therefore it matters to our security," he said.

Explaining why changing weather patterns is important, he said it means "we have to fight differently" and the alliance has to know "what changes are coming."

He said NATO must mitigate its mission in Iraq where its soldiers and trainers need to cope with temperatures of 40 C (104 F), which requires a change in the way NATO builds its bases against climate change.

The deputy secretary-general encouraged other allies to join the memorandum of understanding.