What Do Amazon and the Pentagon Have in Common? Both Are Major Global Polluters
Abbey Curtis / Win Without War
(September 24, 2022) — Just this week, President Biden was at the UN General Assembly affirming the importance of stopping climate change in creating a more secure world.
But rhetoric isn’t action, and just about all our “bold” ideas to take on this existential crisis fall short in one key way: addition.
Yep, we’re struggling with basic math, namely how we accurately count the full scale of US greenhouse gas emissions. Today, nearly every industry and agency has loopholes or tricky tallying that allow hundreds of MILLIONS of metric tons of greenhouse gasses to go uncounted every year — and that’s just a low estimate. These emissions are taking a devastating toll on the economy and the planet, and are directly harming people around the world.
And that’s why we say ENOUGH. Win Without War is committed to upending this status quo and building a world where everyone can thrive. That’s why we’re deepening our work to go after polluters everywhere from the Pentagon to the private sector.
We’re stronger when we speak as a movement, so we’re joining with Demand Progress, Mighty Earth, National Campaign for Justice, and TakeItBack.Org on a crucial campaign to hold Amazon accountable for its impact. Together, we can send a petition of tens of thousands and a signal to Amazon and others that we are watching and won’t be silent. Can you join us?
ACTION: If you believe, like we do, that Amazon must be held accountable for its impact on climate change and take greater steps to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions, add your name now.
Whether it’s flooding in Pakistan or hurricanes in Puerto Rico, the climate crisis is one of the most pressing security threats of our time.
And policymakers and CEOs across the United States talk a big game about how we’ll meet this challenge. But the simple reality is that we’ll never be able to adequately address climate change if we keep undercounting our role in the problem.
Take the Pentagon. It’s the source for well over half of the US government’s emissions. But did you know this huge polluter’s emissions are actually exempt from our net-zero goals?
The Pentagon generates over half of the US government’s GHG emissions but remains exempt from even reporting its pollution.
Or look at Amazon. The fourth largest company in the United States has increased its carbon footprint nearly 40% in the past two years alone. But that’s nowhere near close to the full story, because they only count carbon emissions from Amazon-branded goods. So emissions related to third-party items — electronics, cleaning products, clothing, and more — that Amazon stocks and is delivering to your doorstep next week? Uncounted.
The stakes are so high: Every fraction of a degree of planetary warming we avoid means lives saved and ecosystems protected. That’s why from the Pentagon to the private sector, EVERYONE should be held accountable for their impact in fueling climate change.
If you agree, please sign now.
Thank you for working for peace,
Abbey, Shayna, Yint, and the Win Without War team
