A commentary by a person who spent much of his career on international treaties to protect the environment, including the sa国际传媒-U.S. Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement, The Law of the Sea Convention, the Marine Pollution Convention against tanker pollution, and the International Convention Against Dumping of Wastes at Sea.
Like all the wars before it, this war in Ukraine, with its devastating toll of human suffering and lives lost, is also a war on the environment.
The situation on the ground in Ukraine dramatically illustrates the deliberate destruction of the environment. Pictures in this newspaper, scenes played repeatedly on the internet and on the nightly television news, show explosions of buildings, tanks, missiles and bombs.
Each discharging toxic components into the air: Particles of lead and other heavy metals, dioxins and other complex hydrocarbons. Fuel for tanks, missiles, aircraft and troop transport adds its own burden of pollutants, many of them long-lasting.
Explosions are intended to destroy things: Things that consumed untold resources to create and caused pollution when created. Damage associated with the mining and refining of metals, fabrication of weapons and burning of fuels for deployment is huge. Environmental damage associated with the creation of cement and steel for the construction of buildings, bridges and machinery now destroyed, is also incalculably large.
All these effects will be with us for decades, not just from this war’s direct pollution, but also from the pollution that results when that which has been destroyed needs to be rebuilt.
But the greatest environmental tragedy is what caused this war and all wars like it.
This is a war driven by those who seek to have more than they have now. In this case, Russian President Vladimir Putin wants the resource-rich lands of Ukraine. The “breadbasket of Europe,” rich in uranium and other fuels, is a juicy plum on his border. Having it under his control would add to the aggregate wealth of Putin, his cronies and Russia.
Here, Putin is like most people — brainwashed to believe that self-worth is measured by the accumulation of things: mansions, yachts, personal aircraft, fast cars, thrills and experiences beyond those of others.
This mindset is cultivated by those who sell things so that they may profit by so doing, and thus increase their own stock of “stuff.” This is the greatest environment-destroyer of all.
We have been conditioned to believe that success in life is measured by material goods we have accumulated, thrills we have bought and the money we have in the bank. Children seek status by excelling at computer games where they strive to kill and destroy as much as possible. Many people find films that glorify battle and destruction to be most entertaining.
Thus, many have been conditioned to take what belongs to others in order to increase their own material wealth. They may take what belongs to others by force, if necessary. U.S. president Dwight D. Eisenhower warned about the military-industrial complex. He also said: “Together we must learn how to compose differences, not with arms, but with intellect and decent purpose.”
We are not even trying to follow that path of “decent purpose.” We are being encouraged to spend two per cent of our GDP on environment-destroying weapons so that we can keep up with the other side, instead of using our resources to search for alternative solutions to perceived threats.
While we must fight against materialistic grabs like Putin’s against Ukraine, we needn’t commit one dollar of every 50 to environmental destruction, forever. If countries around the world would spend as much on diplomacy and foreign assistance as we do on military matters, we might be able to shift the world from one of environmental destruction to one of environmental protection. (sa国际传媒 now spends three times more on its military.)
So, when you see your country’s artillery fired, fleets of naval vessels underway, squadrons of fighter planes overhead or rockets being launched, don’t be proud of your country’s military power — be ashamed of its express purpose to kill and maim others while causing widespread, wanton destruction of the environment. The manufacture, maintenance, and mobilization of weapons as a means of providing “security” represents the most horrible example of wasting our environment by design.
We need a new war — a war against the mindset of acquisition and materialism that leads to warfare. A mission to create a more beautiful natural world. A world where we create more parks and forests. Where we clean up our lakes, rivers, and oceans to create a more sustainable environment.
A world where we measure the success of our lives by what each of us does every day to protect, preserve and enhance our environment for the benefit of generations to come.
Using this yardstick, how do we measure up?
