The U.S. armed services is the world ’s largest institutional consumer of fossil fuels . Yet the carbon paper step of warfare has n’t been a central focus of the U.S. mood crusade . Even the game - changingGreen New Deal resolutionthat Rep. Alexandria Ocasio - Cortez and Sen. Ed Markey introduced last twelvemonth — the most comprehensive climate platform to ever hit Capitol Hill — makes no mention of the Pentagon ’s climate impact .
But a primary contender running for Congress in New York ’s District 16 is associate the dots between the world ’s remaining carbon paper budget and the U.S. military budget . Jamaal Bowman is a political fledgling and former mediate school principal backed by the Democratic Socialists of America and climate DoJ organizations like the Sunrise Movement . He ’s looking to unseat Eliot Engel , the 73 - twelvemonth - old Democratic chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and senior member of the Committee on Energy who ’s known for his militant approach to foreign insurance .
In his tender for Engel ’s seat , Bowman is distinguishing himself by running on an unabashedly progressive schedule , include both plan to modernise U.S. climate policy and foreign affairs . And by highlighting the connection between the two , his program show how the Green New Deal could goad environmental justness not only domestically , but also afield .
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“ The U.S. military machine is the biggest polluter on the satellite so minify our military spending will go a long way toward economise the major planet , ” Bowmansayson his site . “ I think the climate crisis is an opportunity to at last discard our arm and fear of each other to come together and salvage the planet . ”
At first glance , Eliot ’s climate record seems becoming . He’sfairly consistentlyvoted in favorof mood rule , hesignedonto the Green New Deal House Resolution , and he ’s a longtime extremity of the House ’s Safe Climate Caucus . He received aperfect scoreon the League of Conservation Voters ’ latest environmental paper bill and has been endorse by environmental organisation include the Sierra Club and Clean Water Action . But his foreign insurance criminal record is another story .
As chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee , Engel is the most prominent Democratic Party figure on U.S. extraneous policy . He has accepted hundreds of thousands of dollar fromwarmongering right wing groupsandemployee PACsfor weapons manufacturer , whilesupportingpro - war lawmaking in Iraq , Iran , Palestine and elsewhere .
“ you may not call yourself a liberal when you ’re accountable to corporate PAC and weapon manufacturing business , ” Bowmansaidin a late televise Ithiel Town hall . “ When you look at who funds him and what he votes for , you see a difference of interest . ”
Engel ’s predilection for pro - war insurance is a humanist outcome , but it ’s also a job for the mood . The U.S. military emitsmore greenhouse gasesthanmany res publica .
The Pentagon is also a source of environmental injustice . Domestically , it isdirectly responsiblefor 141 Superfund toxic wastefulness web site , 10 % of all such site in the U.S. hundred of other Superfund web site or seat thought to be contaminated with poisonousforever chemicalsare give up military facility or website that otherwise support military needs .
warfare has a toxic wallop abroad , too . Onestudyfound that children exist near U.S. bases in Iraq , which are still full of high grade of radioactive heavy metals , have an increased risk of paralytic limb , congenital meat disease , spinal deformities , and some kind of cancer . Research also usher the U.S. state of war in Afghanistancontributedto the massive wipeout of wood and wetland .
In late years , Engel has taken a fairly less hawkish line on foreign affairs , offering hissupportfor the Iran deal in 2017 and game a 2019resolutionto cut off U.S. support to the Saudi - conduct war in Yemen .
But Bowman is n’t just pushing to modestly conquer U.S. military intervention . He ’s calling to dramatically cut the nation ’s military spending over the next decade , taking a “ diplomacy - first advance ” to strange insurance policy . Doing so could go a recollective direction to foster a more just existence , not only because it would directly cut war disbursal , but also because it would cut carbon emission . The climate crisis is a threat - multiplier thatcontributesto more worldwide outbreaks of violent conflict , so lower emissions could lead in more peace globally .
Money freed up from a decrease Pentagon budget could go toward fund the kinds of environmental justice policies , like weatherizing public housing and funding a just transition away from fossil fuel , that Bowman call in for .
“ Jamaal is exonerated : we need to barricade dumping billions into the military machine , ” Sunrise Movement spokesperson Stephen O’Hanlon tell Earther . “ We ’re spend billions killing people — and of course vomit massive sum of nursery gasoline into the atmosphere while we do it — while people are going hungry and while the mood crisis is bearing down on us . That ’s not the leading we require . ”
Bowman ’s candidacy show the motivation to boom the scope of what ’s see clime policy . Environmental injustice does not stop at the U.S. border — neither should the Green New Deal .
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