FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Sept. 11, 2023
MEDIA CONTACT: Melissa Garriga | [email protected]
Anti-Militarism Hub Joins March to End Fossil Fuels in New York City
It is time to address the elephant in the room!
NEW YORK, NY – CODEPINK, a women-led grassroots organization, is proud to be part of the Anti-Militarism Hub that will gather in the streets of New York City on September 17 for the March to End Fossil Fuels. This year’s march aims to bring thousands to the streets to coincide with the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres' “Climate Ambition Summit.”
"We know that for real 'climate ambition', we must address the largest institutional polluter in the world, the US Pentagon," said CODEPINK organizer Olivia DiNucci. "Fossil fuels have been and continue to be a primary reason for many of the wars over the last century. A just transition to clean renewable energy and environmental, social and economic justice for low-income and people and communities of color are essential to world peace."
The Women's International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) also joins the Anti-Militarism Hub, stressing the need to reevaluate our relationship with oil, and acknowledging its role in climate change and conflict.
“This summer’s severe weather events and climate extremes demand ending reliance on oil, gas and coal. Additionally, the on-going conflicts, wars, and violence are squandering the resources we need to support peaceful societies. War as a path to peace is obsolete!,” said Nancy Price with WILPF, US – Climate Justice + Women + Peace Campaign.
“We want a livable planet for present and future generations, and all life depends on thriving ecosystems. We must cut the Pentagon budget and move the money from the current war economy to a peace economy. A peace economy would liberate funds needed for massive national investment in environmental restoration, in a truly green and sustainable economy, and in global peace-building,” she continued.
“Members of the Mass Peace Action Climate Action Nuclear Disarmament United (CANDU) campaign (also known as the Twin Existential Threat campaign) will participate in the NYC climate march, reminding observers that the approval of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) by the US and the other nuclear nations is the strongest step that can be taken to rescue the world from intensifying climate disaster—indeed, to rescue the planet from destruction of all life on earth.” said Kathleen Malley-Morrison; Chair, Mass Peace Action.
The hub supports the overall march’s demands, as well as:
- Cut the Pentagon budget by at least $100 billion annually, reallocating the savings to Green New Deal initiatives, environmental justice, and human needs programs.
- Require military operations and weapons production to acknowledge and report greenhouse gas emissions.
- Achieve a 50% reduction in U.S. military emissions by 2030, in alignment with the Biden Administration's emissions reduction goal.
- Prevent nuclear conflict and mitigate the climate crisis by urging the U.S. to sign the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.
"With a military that burns more fossil fuel than any other institution and a global empire that produces more petroleum than any other country, the U.S. is a danger to the planet. In the interests of humanity, we must take action to stop the crimes of our government,” said World Can’t Wait director, Debra Sweet.
The public cannot afford to ignore the largest polluting elephant in the room. The military-industrial complex is a major contributor to the climate crisis. War and war preparations are major greenhouse gas emitters. In fact, world militaries are such egregious polluters that it will be impossible to meet any crucial benchmarks for climate change solutions without drastically cutting military carbon output in the immediate future. All greenhouse gas emissions need to be included in mandatory greenhouse gas emission reduction standards. There must be no more exceptions for military pollution – our planet and its people depend on it.
Other organizations joining the Hub include Beyond Extreme Energy, NJ Peace Action, Veterans For Peace, Beyond Extreme Energy, Veterans For Peace -CCMP, War Resisters League, United for Peace and Justice, Peace Action NYS, Brooklyn Peace Action, Communist Party NYC, Claudia Jones School, Black Alliance for Peace, Raging Grannies and more. They will be marching together with their banners, signs and one very large elephant on September 17.
Additional Quotes:
Jim Anderson, Peace Action New York State: "The March to End Fossil Fuels is not a parade, it's a people's action of demand to world leaders to act now. Fossil fuels are a cause of destruction to people and the planet as nations go to war over oil. The militarization of the planet is escalating climate change. World leaders must act now."
Ted Glick, Beyond Extreme Energy: “The twin existential crises of climate disruption and destructive militarism stem from a common source: the power of the fossil fuel-military-industrial complex. On September 17th many of us will be clearly making that connection and calling for action now, in the streets and in Congress, to claw back Pentagon war funding to instead address human needs and the climate emergency."
Jim Rine, U.S. Army veteran, member of Veterans For Peace, and adjunct professor at Wayne State University: “To quote Amitav Ghosh ‘…conflict and national rivalries are fundamental drivers of climate change’ (Thunberg’s The Climate Change Book). As Commander-in-Chief of the world’s largest military, Biden needs to lead by reducing the size of the U.S. military, as well as resolving the conflict in Ukraine. The on-going increase in global militarism is incompatible with addressing the climate crisis.”
Joe Sims, Communist Party USA: "The CPUSA calls upon progressive and democratic folks to join the fight to stop the twin existential crises of global scorching and threat of nuclear war. Ending use of fossil fuels is critical to both. We're joining the anti-militarism contingent to demonstrate our support for achieving these goals and to demand Biden meet the march's demand to end fossil fuels and stop pursuing Cold War 2.0 policies.”
Zool Zulkowitz, Rising Together: “When we link the issues of supremacy, inequity, militarism and sustainability, we build coalitions among diverse communities and across generations - together we confront the challenges of climate chaos and the endless war economy.”
You can find the anti-militarism contingent at the March to End Fossil Fuels by spotting the actual elephant in the room. For more information or media interviews, please contact: Melissa Garriga, CODEPINK - [email protected]
###