The US Department of Defense Is Destroying the Planet.
We Need to Cut Military Emissions Now!
Care2 Petitions Team
(October 31, 2021) — In 2020, one single entity alone was responsible for creating more than 52 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions — more than the entire country of Sweden. What entity was this? The US military. It turns out that weapons of war are not just devastating for local families and ecosystems in war-torn regions; they are also massively contributing to the destruction of our entire planet. In fact, the US military is more responsible for impacting climate change than 150 entire countries!
The military actually fully understands this. Its staff have authored numerous reports emphasizing the risk climate change poses to both national and global security.Yet year after year, while the military budget balloons, hardly a dent is made in emissions reductions within each of its branches. And government agencies that could help save the environment? They often receive pennies on the dollars needed. We are running out of time to save the planet and to also avert a huge international security crisis.
If the US military is truly committed to protecting Americans and the world, it must invest in green energy to ensure a habitable future planet.
THE PETITION
In 2020, the US military was responsible for a whopping 52 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions — more emitted than the entire country of Sweden. It turns out that weapons of war are not just devastating for local families and ecosystems — they are massively contributing to the destruction of the entire planet.
Sign now to demand: the Department of Defense must cut greenhouse gas emissions and stop climate catastrophe!
The US armed forces are more responsible for climate change than over 150 entire countries. Ironically, the military fully understands what is at stake as the planet continues to get hotter — in fact, it has authored numerous reports emphasizing the risk climate change poses to both national and global security. Yet year after year, the military budget balloons and hardly a dent is made in emissions within each of its branches. All the while crucial government programs that desperately need funding — including investments into sustainable energy and infrastructure — receive pennies on the dollar.
The F-35 program, for example, is expected to cost a total of $1.7 trillion by the end of its life cycle. On top of that, these weapons of war are some of the least energy efficient ever produced, emitting massive amounts of CO2 and requiring more fuel than just about any other plane in history.
Each year, scientists author reports that remind us: we are running out of time to act. Given that the military has caused so much environmental harm in the past, it is their responsibility to lead the way in green energy and emissions reductions. The US military has access to the world’s largest research budget — there is no excuse for its sluggish response.
If the US military is really interested in protecting its citizens, the most important investment it would make is not in some elaborate, multi-billion dollar bomber, but instead in green energy and a habitable planet. It is time we tell the Department of Defense: protect Americans, cut US military emissions!
Sign the Petition!
What is a real threat is climate change’ — This US Army vet is calling out the military for being one of the ‘largest emitters’ of carbon emissions.
The potential climate impact of the War on Terror is staggering, according to US Army veteran Erik Edstrom. Edstrom is a West Point graduate, author, and former US Army infantry officer who got out of the military after serving Afghanistan to study climate change and finance at Oxford University. Edstrom says the 20-year-long Afghanistan War contributed enough carbon emissions to kill multitudes of people. His assessment is based on studies such as one published in Nature Communications, which estimated that approx 4,400 metric tons of CO2 emissions is enough to kill one person.
The US Department of Defense is required to report its energy use to the Department of Energy’s Federal Energy Management Program. In FY2020, total estimated DoD greenhouse gas emissions based solely on fuel usage data were more than 51 million metric tons of CO2. That figure includes emissions from standard day-to-day operations as well as emissions from non-standard operations such as combat support, law enforcement, emergency response, and spaceflight.
Edstrom says there’s more to be concerned with than just operating emissions. Edstrom says the US Department of Defense budget, which in fiscal year 2021 was more than $703 billion, is bolstered by fear. He thinks Americans’ fears are misguided. Edstrom thinks the future military will be more electric, but says requiring the military-industrial complex to report the full scope of its emissions, beyond just fuel usage, is a crucial step in getting there. #ClimateChange #ClimateCrisis #Military #Army #Earth #Environment #Science #NowThis
