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John,
This time last month, temperatures in the Arctic soared above 100 degrees Fahrenheit for the first time in recorded history. Not long after, new data revealed that the 12-month period ending in June tied for the warmest year in history. With each shattered record, the urgency of robust climate action becomes more and more shockingly clear.
The scientific consensus tells us we have 10 years to transform our fossil-fueled, extractive economy. At this critical moment, it’s clear that we need an unprecedented level of global cooperation and resource sharing to adequately address the climate crisis.
In order to do so, we’ll need to massively invest in things that support people and the planet. We’ll also need to divest from institutions that kill, oppress, and exploit across the globe.
The Pentagon monopolizes the funding we need to meaningfully address the climate crisis. In 2020, military spending accounted for 54% of all federal discretionary spending, a total of $756 billion. By comparison, the federal discretionary budget in 2020 included only $2.7 billion for energy efficiency and renewable energy. The military budget was 272 times larger than the federal budget for energy efficiency and renewable energy.
As we outline in our “No Warming, No War” report, that’s not the only way militarism fuels the climate crisis. The Pentagon is notorious for fighting wars for oil — and it’s the largest institutional consumer of petroleum in the world. Meanwhile, the growing militarization of borders is a terrifying barrier to the free movement of people, including climate migrants.
To learn more about the many links between militarism and the climate crisis, join us this Monday, July 27, at 8pm ET, for our “No Warming, No War” webinar.
Register here, and feel free to invite friends on Facebook!
The National Priorities Project is hosting this webinar with The Leap, The Climate Mobilization, and The Mexican Network of Mining-Affected People, based on the research we’ve been doing on how we can dismantle the global military-industrial complex, and shift its immense resources — money, infrastructure, and people — towards climate solutions.
We’re working to put anti-militarism at the center of the Green New Deal, and we’re proud to co-sponsor this webinar.
We’ve put together a fantastic international lineup, with speakers working at this intersection in the US, Mexico, and the Philippines:
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Cris Lagunas, The Climate Mobilization;
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Lorah Steichen, National Priorities Project;
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Miguel Angel Mijangos, The Mexican Network of Mining-Affected People;
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Tetet Nera Lauron, Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung;
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Basav Sen from the Institute for Policy Studies will moderate the discussion.
This webinar will take place in English and Spanish, with live interpretation available.
Don’t miss “No Warming, No War” on Monday, July 27 — sign up here to reserve your spot in the webinar, or tune into our livestream on Facebook!
Around the world, people working to stop war, racism, and climate chaos have every reason to see their struggles as one and the same — and to forge a common agenda for transformative change. That’s why we hope you’ll join us for “No Warming, No War.”
In solidarity,
Lorah, Ashik, Lindsay, and the NPP team at IPS
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