On February 20, 2003, Environmentalists Against War convened a press conference at the Sierra Club offices in San Francisco to announce the release of a declaration called “Ten Reasons Environmentalists Oppose an Attack on Iraq.”

The statement  read as follows:

As organizations and individuals working for the environment and environmental justice, we raised our voices in opposition to the invasion of Iraq and invited others to join us in support of peace. We opposed the war on Iraq for the following reasons:

1. The attack on Iraq could kill thousands of people. Most of the people killed would be innocent civilians.

2. War destroys human settlements and native habitats. War destroys wildlife and contaminates the land, air and water. The damage can last for generations.

3. US clusterbombs, thermobaric explosions, electromagnetic bursts and weapons made with depleted uranium are indiscriminate weapons of mass destruction.

4. Bombs pollute, poisoning the land with unexploded shells and toxic chemicals. Bombs can't locate or neatly destroy hidden chemical or biological weapons (CBW), but they can cause the uncontrolled spread of deadly CBW agents.

5. Fighting a war for oil is ultimately self-defeating.

6. Pre-emptive attacks are acts of aggression.

7. Aggression invites retaliation.

8. Increased military spending (to control access to the fuel that powers our oil-based economy) drains funds from critical social, educational, medical and environmental needs.

9. Militarization and the war on terrorism are eroding America's freedoms at home.

10. The US has threatened to strike Iraq with nuclear weapons - the ultimate weapons of mass destruction.

Within weeks, the declaration had been endorsed by more than 100 environmental and social justice organizations in a dozen countries. The complete statement may be found at the Media Center on our website.

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