Middleboro Review 2: there’s no such thing as an eco-friendly war machine

Sunday, April 24, 2022

there’s no such thing as an eco-friendly war machine

The president’s plan to address climate change has a giant Pentagon-shaped hole.

Late last year, President Biden signed an ambitious executive order requiring the federal government to reach net-zero emissions by 2050. But the window to avert catastrophic climate change is slamming shut in just the next few years, and this plan has a critical weakness: The president’s order exempts ANY emissions related to national security, combat, intelligence or military training — well over half of the U.S. government’s output.

We can no longer ignore the fact that weapons and war require massive amounts of fossil fuel. The Pentagon’s privilege to pollute leaves the United States unable to accurately account for the harm it does to the planet AND hamstrung in its efforts to address the climate crisis.

That’s why we’re launching an urgent campaign to END it. Momentum is already building in Congress to push President Biden to lift the exemption, ensure the Pentagon is held accountable, and lead the fight against climate change. It’ll be an uphill challenge — and we need you with us if we’re going to have a chance at building enough pressure.

We’re heading into the last week of April facing a deep $21,700.64 fundraising gap. Less than 1% of those reading will give, but if everyone who can gives now, we could close this gap in seconds. Any amount will help fuel our fight to END the Pentagon’s privilege to pollute — can you donate $15 today?

There's no such thing as an eco-friendly war machine. Here's where we remind you that the U.S. military is the world's largest institutional consumer of petroleum. In one hour alone, the F-35A fighter jet can burn gallons of fuel by the thousands, and those gallons add up. This year, the Defense Department is expected to burn through 82.3m barrels of fuel — more than the total oil consumption of Finland. [1]

And there's little indication that anything will change. The most recent Pentagon sustainability plan — nearly two years old now — has no decarbonization targets at all.

This week's IPCC report makes clear a future of inaction will be increasingly bleak: "Major cities under water. Unprecedented heatwaves. Terrifying storms. Widespread water shortages. The extinction of a million species of plants and animals." [3]

Can you donate $15 now to help us END the Pentagon’s privilege to pollute? Every single dollar you give adds up in a big way to dismantle the war machine, and build a world where PEOPLE and the planet can thrive.

Yesterday, we celebrated Earth Day. But for just as long as this holiday has been on the calendar, the Pentagon has avoided audits and accountability.

Climate change requires more than a military-grade greenwash. It’s time for the era of an untouchable Pentagon to end.

Thank you for working for peace,

Sam, Yint, Abbey, and the Win Without War team

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[1] The Guardian, "Is super-polluting Pentagon’s climate plan just ‘military-grade greenwash’?"

[2] Yahoo! News, "IPCC: Window to avert catastrophic climate change is quickly closing"