October 28, 2021 Editor

Concerning “Military vs Climate Spending: A Moral Catastrophe in Three Pictures”

We're condemning millions with our choices.

Richard Eskow

October 28, 2021

photo above: youtube.com

WN: The charts below tell a compelling story of overweening Greed, Hatred and Fear–the three longstanding Counter-Virtues of American militarized capitalism.((Please see any of these posts to learn more.)) The Three Theological Virtues  by contrast are

. . . Faith, Hope, and Charity (Love), and can trace their importance in Christian theology to Paul the Apostle in 1 Corinthians 13, who also pointed out that “the greatest of these is love.

So we pray: Lord, have mercy on the Planet. Lord, have mercy on the generations that follow . . .

excerpts:

The financial reconciliation agreement announced by the White House includes $555 billion for climate change, to be spent over the next ten years. The current level of federal spending on climate change is roughly $2.4 billion per year, making this an enormous boost in the government’s commitment to climate change.

Our spending isn’t just misguided; it’s immoral. Our choices today are condemning millions of people—descendants—to death.

Unfortunately, it’s also far less than what is needed to address the dawning catastrophe. Most of this expenditure comes in the form of tax breaks, rather than direct government spending. Our priorities still reflect a national blindness and madness.

Compare Biden’s budget figure with what the US is projected to spend on the military over the same 10-year period:

Does that look like a reasonable balance to you?

The next chart carries forward the president’s proposed climate spending and the military budget to the year 2100 (in today’s dollars) and puts it alongside the projected cost of climate change to the United States that year (also in today’s dollars):

The final chart is a look backward over the last 20 years. Roughly 4,000 Americans died from terrorism during that period, including on 9/11 itself. Meanwhile, an estimated 750,000 people died during the same period because they didn’t have health insurance, and roughly 2 million died from air pollution.

That chart is below, but you’ll have to scroll a long way to reach its end, so we’ll conclude here. Our spending isn’t just misguided; it’s immoral. Our choices today are condemning millions of people—descendants—to death.

This system won’t change itself. It’s going to take action – lots of action. Join the Sunrise Movement, or Zero Hour (no connection to the radio show), or Extinction Rebellion (I’m a member, for what it’s worth).

 

Estimated climate deaths from air pollution: 200,000/yr x 20 years

Health insurance deaths: 45,000 per year until Affordable Care Act, then 30,000 per year (more detail on calculations here)

Terrorism deaths: 9/11, attacks on US civilians abroad, etc.

Please click on: Military vs Climate Spending

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Editor

Wayne Northey was Director of Man-to-Man/Woman-to-Woman – Restorative Christian Ministries (M2/W2) in British Columbia, Canada from 1998 to 2014, when he retired. He has been active in the criminal justice arena and a keen promoter of Restorative Justice since 1974. He has published widely on peacemaking and justice themes. You will find more about that on this website: a work in progress.

Always appreciate constructive feedback! Thanks.