The United States' military is responsible for much of the planet's pollution, this is a large problem that does not get nearly enough attention. In a time where people are conscious about the environment and are able to get information at any time this would seem like an issue people would be following; but this is not so. This information is rarely addressed by environmental organizations and was not discussed at the recent UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen. Some of these acts include uninhibited use of fossil fuels, creation of green house gasses, and extensive release of radioactive and chemical contaminants into the air, water, and soil. U.S military operations on over 1,000 bases around the world and 6,000 in the U.S are not counted against green house gas limits. Author Sara Flounders writes, "By every measure, the Pentagon is the largest institutional user of petroleum products and energy in general. Yet the Pentagon has a blanket exemption in all international climate agreements."
The U.S military uses 320,000 barrels of oil a day not including fuel consumed by contractors, private facilities, or production of weapons. The war in Iraq is a major contributor of pollution and the climate change by producing greenhouse gasses and carbon dioxide. "The Iraq war was responsible for at least 141 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent from March 2003 through December 2007...That war emits more than 60 percent of all countries...This information is not readily available...because military emissions abroad are exempt from national requirements under U.S law and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change." Said, Steve Kretzmann, Director of Oil Change International.
The reason these facts are not shared with the public is because during the Kyoto Accords negotiations in December of 1997 the U.S signed an agreement that stated that they would be exempted from measurement or reductions of all military operations worldwide, including operations with the UN and NATO. This will continue until 2020 when an executive order signed by President Barack Obama calling for federal agencies to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions is put into effect. The Department of Defense is the largest polluter in the world, producing more hazardous waste than the five largest U.S chemical companies combined. The United States' worldwide destruction does not stop with just pollution, the large amount of land mines and cluster bombs spread throughout Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East continue to bring death and destruction to those in the area well after the wars have stopped. The U.S also tested nuclear weapons in the South Pacific Islands that contaminated millions of acres of land and water with radiation.
It does not look like the U.S is planning on stopping their trail of environmental destruction as they plan on creating a $15 billion dollar military operation on the island of Guam. This would make Guam a major U.S military area in the Pacific for years to come. The 30 mile Island of Guam has no right to oppose this destructive move by the United States because they are a colony of the U.S leaving them at a social disadvantage. Although this is a controversial issue and a concern of the people of Guam it is something that we do not hear about in the news. It is sad to think that the people of Guam have never had a chance to speak out against this military movement and all the while the United States justify their actions by keeping the media out of it and saying that they are "spreading democracy." LexisNexis
