Veterans for Peace remarks
by Harry Adams, Veterans For Peace, Chapter 46 & member of VFP national Climate Crisis and Militarism Project
The mission of Veterans For Peace is to expose the true costs of war and militarism. Part of this mission is to expose the tremendous damage to our environment by not only war, but also the daily operations of the military. Our members, whether in combat or support positions, have often witnessed, experienced and participated in the damage.
We believe that any serious discussion of the climate crisis must include the role of the U.S. government in perpetuating militarism and war as an instrument of national policy.
Barely ever mentioned is that the U.S. military is the world’s largest institutional emitter of greenhouse gases and user of fossil fuels. It’s daily global operations – jet fuel consumption, overseas deployments, naval operations, maintenance of 800 overseas bases, and frivolous air shows and sports events flyovers produce immense carbon pollution. For example, a recent analysis estimates that the 1.5 trillion-dollar Pentagon budget request alone would raise military emissions to 267 megatons per year, exceeding that of more than 100 other countries annual emissions from all sources and a little bit less the amount as Spain.
The drive for even more fossil fuels, such as we’re seeing along our coast with proposed new oil drilling and seabed mining leases, is motivated in large part to feed the beast of militarism and U.S. domination.
These military operations also poison our air, soil and water through the residue of toxic waste and such travesties as Agent Orange and burn pits. While the military might leave war and occupied zones, the devastation remains for those that live in those countries. And many of our veterans carry the effects until the day we die.
So yes, today we join in the demands of the day. We also hope that we can join together with a unified voice demanding a drastic reduction in the Pentagon budget, divestment from fossil fuel production and weapons of war, no militarization of our communities and no drilling in our oceans, mountains and deserts.
Let’s always remember that wars and militarism kill all species, not just our own, and damage our ecosystem permanently.
NO BOMBS IN THE AIR, NO OIL IN THE WATER, NO ICE ON OUR STREETS!