Obama's Surge vs. Afghanistan's Eco-System
February 21, 2010
Mickey Z / Planet Green
Commentary: "The environmental costs of war are no secret but the stakes continue to rise with the US using weapons such as depleted uranium. Afghanistan now has 33 species on its endangered list. However, the National Environmental Protection Agency expects that list to grow to over 80 species by the end of the year.
http://planetgreen.discovery.com/work-connect/obama-afghanistan-eco-system.html
Obama's Surge vs. Afghanistan's Eco-System
Further Proof that Without Exceptions, War is Gell
Commentary by Mickey Z / Planet Green
ASTORIA, NY (January 9, 2010) — As journalist Joshua Frank explains, the people of Afghanistan aren't discerning much difference between shock and awe and hope and change.
Writes Frank:
"Shipping off 30,000 more troops to the land of the Taliban may be infuriating to devoted antiwar activists, but the toll the Afghanistan war is having on the environment should also force nature lovers into the streets in protest."
The environmental costs of war are no secret but the stakes continue to rise with the US using weapons such as depleted uranium.
"Depleted uranium burns on contact," explains physician and activist, Helen Caldicott, "creating tiny aerosolized particles less than five microns in diameter, small enough to be inhaled." These minute particles can travel "long distances when airborne," she explains.
"As bombs fall, civilians are not the only ones put at risk," adds Frank, "and the lasting environmental impacts of the war may not be known for years, perhaps decades, to come." For example, he says, "birds are killed and sent off their migratory course."
Home to wildlife such as gazelles, cheetahs, hyenas, Turanian tigers, and snow, Afghanistan now has 33 species on its endangered list. However, the National Environmental Protection Agency expects that list to grow to over 80 species by the end of the year.
Reminder: War is never and will never be green. That's why linking the pro-environment and anti-war movements is so crucial.
The world's largest polluter may be the U.S. Department of Defense but this is made possible by volunteer soldiers. Simply put, the more we know, the less likely we'd be to enlist. So, instead of pledging to "support" the troops, why not inform them instead?
Can You Identify the Worst Polluter on the Planet?
Mickey Z. / Planet Green
ASTORIA, NY (August 11, 2009) — No matter what we're led to believe, the world's worst polluter is not your cousin who refuses to recycle or the co-worker who drives a gas guzzler or that guy down the block who simply will not try CFL bulbs.
"The US Department of Defense is the largest polluter in the world, producing more hazardous waste than the five largest US chemical companies combined," explains Lucinda Marshall, founder of the Feminist Peace Network. Pesticides, defoliants like Agent Orange, solvents, petroleum, lead, mercury, and depleted uranium are among the many deadly substances used by the military.
What does this mean for us? To start with, it can help illustrate how to best foment a green revolution. In the words of Richard Marcus: "Even if every single person in the United States were to change all their light-bulbs to fluorescent, cut the amount they drive in half, recycle half of their household waste, inflate their tire pressure to increase gas mileage, use low flow shower heads and wash clothes in lower temperature water, adjusts their thermostats two degrees up or down depending on the season, and plant a tree, it would result in a one time, 21% reduction in carbon emissions."
For those of you scoring at home, that's a one time, 21% reduction in carbon emissions. We compost, we drive hybrids, we bring our own bag to the market but meanwhile, the US military and fellow polluters — transnational corporations — treat the planet like it's a porta-potty...with little or no opposition from the general population. In fact, the military typically enjoys unconditional support even from those who identify as "anti-war."
Keep this in mind the next time you hear the phrase "war on terror": Our tax dollars are subsidizing a global eco-terror campaign and all the recycled toilet paper in the world ain't gonna change that. In other words, if we don't want our legacy to be one of inaction, we must create drastic, permanent change very, very soon.
For starters, there are billboards to be liberated, seed bombs to be detonated, whale killers to be stopped, monkey wrenches to be utilized, and other forms of direct action waiting to be created... because here's the most inconvenient truth of all: it's time to embrace a darker shade of green.
<1>Posted in accordance with Title 17, Section 107, US Code, for noncommercial, educational purposes.
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