The Connection Between Militarism and the Environment

What is the connection?    
What are the consequences?

Warfare in the modern era predominantly affects civilian populations rather than opposing militaries and results in environmental destruction of such a degree that it has been described as ecological holocaust. With the advent of nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons, it is clear that no one is immune to these concerns. And yet war is not just an event. Even in so-called times of peace, the physical preparations for war, the diversion of resources from civilian needs, and the militaristic values that pervade our society incur a violent toll upon the Earth and its people. This "peacetime" violence is inflicted upon communities around the world by the very governments and militaries that are charged with protecting us.

 Consider the following:

• Warfare in the 20th century resulted in the loss of an estimated 175 million lives (primarily civilians), as well as ecological destruction unrivaled in human history.
   
• Collectively, the military expenditures of all nations approach $860 billion annually and comprise one of the planet's most environmentally-destructive human endeavors. Joni Seager, a geographer at the University of Vermont, has noted that "anywhere in the world, a military presence is the single most reliable predictor of environmental damage."
   
• During the first Gulf War, total oil spills in the region resulting from military conflict were estimated as high as 150 million barrels (more than 650x the oil released in the much-publicized Exxon Valdez spill).
   
•  Virtually all of the world's nuclear bomb test sites, as well as most uranium mines and radioactive dumps, occupy Native lands. Similar environmental justice concerns have been raised with regards to the siting of numerous other toxic military activities.
   
• The US military (the world's single largest polluter) is responsible for 27,000 toxic hot spots on 8,500 current and former military properties, and generates more toxics annually than the top five chemical companies combined. The Department of Defense is the country's largest user of the carcinogen trichloroethylene (TCE) and the ozone-destroying chlorofluorocarbon (CFC), the largest purchaser of oil, paper, many precious metals, and a host of other resources.
   
• Military institutions worldwide rely upon a hierarchical command structure, and have repeatedly demonstrated discriminatory practices towards women, people of color, the poor, and queers.
   
• The glorification of militaristic values has become a common theme throughout popular culture and public discourse, and has bred a culture of violence in the US and elsewhere. A meaningful discussion of violence in our society will not take place so long as our government and mass media are beholden to the transnational corporations who profit from the marketing of weapons of mass destruction and US hegemony.

-WHO FIGHTS OUR WARS?
-WHO REAPS THE BENEFITS?
-WHO WILL PAY THE CONSEQUENCES OF SUCH DECISIONS WITH THEIR HEALTH AND WELL-BEING?

If we are being asked:

• to sacrifice our civil liberties and accept the erosion of our democracy,
• to devote our domestic resources towards military buildup rather than the meeting of basic necessities such as health care, education, and job creation,
• to sacrifice the health of our environment,
• to permit discrimination against people based on their race, class, gender, and sexual orientation,
• and to glorify a culture of violence and exploitation, all in the name of "national security," then the question must be asked--what is it that these measures are trying to protect?