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WAR & GENOCIDE ON EARTH DAY  
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Melissa Garriga
April 21, 2024
Consortium News
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_ U.S. military aggression and imperial ambitions leave a trail of
natural destruction — all under the guise of national security,
writes Melissa Garriga. _

Damaged buildings in Gaza, Dec. 6, 2023. , Tasnim News Agency,
Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

 

On Earth Day Monday, prepare for the annual spectacle of U.S.
lawmakers donning their environmentalist hats, waxing poetic about
their love for the planet while disregarding the devastation their
actions wreak.

The harsh reality is that alongside their hollow pledges lies a trail
of destruction fueled by military aggression and imperial ambitions,
all under the guise of national security.

Take Gaza, for instance. Its once-fertile farmland now lies barren,
its water sources poisoned by conflict and neglect. The grim
statistics speak volumes: 97 percent  of Gaza’s water is unfit for
human
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consumption, leading to a staggering 26 percent of illnesses,
particularly among vulnerable children. 

Israel’s decades-long colonial settler project and ethnic cleansing
of Palestine have caused irrefutable damage to the land, air and
water, consequently contributing to the climate crisis.

In fact, in the first two months of the current genocide campaign in
Gaza, Israel’s murderous bombardment, which has killed nearly 35,000
people, has also generated more planet-warming emissions
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than the annual carbon footprint of the world’s top 20
climate-vulnerable nations. 

Yet, despite these dire circumstances, U.S. lawmakers persist in
funneling weapons to Israel, perpetuating a cycle of violence and
environmental degradation.

The ripple effects of militarism extend far beyond Gaza’s borders.
In Ukraine, the Russia-Ukraine War has left a staggering $56.4 billion
environmental bill,
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with widespread contamination of air, water, and soil. Landmines and
unexploded ordnance litter 30 percent
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of the country, posing long-term risks to both the environment and
human health. 

The United States’ answer to all this has been to reject diplomacy
and fuel a long, protracted war with a seamingling endless supply of
weapons and military support. A war that most experts will tell you is
not a winnable war. The proxy war the United States is funding not
only leaves Ukrainians at risk of never achieving peace but also
significantly contributes to the ever-growing climate crisis. 

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, President Joe Biden and
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin at a press event on continued support
for Ukraine in January. (White House, Cameron Smith)

Then, there is the U.S. government’s desire to go to war with China.
The U.S. military’s heavy footprint already looms large in the
Pacific, and with the war drums now beating harder for war than ever
before , the footprint is growing.

With over 200 bases dotting the region, the Pentagon’s voracious
energy consumption fuels greenhouse gas emissions
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and environmental degradation, from polluted drinking water in Okinawa
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to severe contamination near military installations in Guam
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Yet, the U.S. government insists that it is China that is its greatest
enemy and not the looming threat of climate destruction. The U.S.
military’s presence in the Pacific is destroying natural, indigenous
ecosystems, favoring the idea of environmental destruction over
attempting any form of diplomacy and cooperation with China. 

All of this destruction to the environment and acceleration of the
climate crisis happens silently under the veil of “national
security,” while discussions on how the environmental toll of war is
the most significant national security threat are absent in D.C. 

While the threat of nuclear annihilation and civilian casualties
rightfully dominate headlines, the ecological fallout remains an
underreported tragedy. 

The Pentagon is the planet’s largest institutional emitter of fossil
fuels;
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its insatiable appetite for conflict exacerbates climate change and
threatens ecosystems worldwide. To make matters worse, the U.S.
government wants to fund this destruction to the tune of nearly a
trillion dollars a year
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poor and low-wealth communities worldwide bear the brunt of climate
catastrophes with little to no resources to protect themselves. 

At the heart of this destructive cycle lies a perverse economic
incentive, where war becomes a lucrative business at the expense of
both people and the planet. The narrative of gross domestic product
growth masks the actual cost of conflict, prioritizing financial
profit over genuine progress in education, healthcare, and
biodiversity. 

Instead of war-economy metrics such as the GDP, we could embrace
alternative metrics such as the genuine progress indicator (GPI)
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reckon with the actual toll of war on our world. 

We can shift from endless growth towards genuine well-being by valuing
air quality, food security, and environmental sustainability. 

This Earth Day, let us reject the empty rhetoric of environmentalism
without action. Let us demand accountability from our lawmakers and
insist on an end to the cycle of violence and ecological devastation.
By prioritizing peace and sustainability, we can protect our planet
and safeguard future generations.

MELISSA GARRIGA IS THE COMMUNICATIONS AND MEDIA RELATIONS MANAGER FOR
CODEPINK. SHE WRITES ABOUT THE INTERSECTION OF MILITARISM AND THE
HUMAN COST OF WAR.

_The views expressed are solely those of the author and may or may not
reflect those of _CONSORTIUM NEWS.

* Earth Day 2024; Militarism and Environmentalism; The Pentagon and
Fossil Fuels;
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