Climate Crisis: Tuvalu Sinks, Pentagon Budgets Soar
Al Jazeera brings us the poignant cry from Tuvalu: 'We don’t want to disappear.' They detail the nation's struggle with climate change, needing sea walls 'now.' It's a powerful human story about impending doom for an entire culture. What's often missing from such reports? The staggering financial commitments to a different kind of 'security.' For example, the US Congress repeatedly greenlights
massive defense budgets, funding the very industries that contribute disproportionately to global emissions. Our elected officials, many of whom accept donations from fossil fuel PACs—like Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV), who received over $1.5 million from oil & gas in 2022 alone (OpenSecrets.org)—simultaneously express 'concern' for climate change. One wonders how many miles of sea wall could be
built with the $886 billion allocated to the Pentagon for 2024, or the $14 billion in aid recently approved for foreign militaries. Perhaps the 'threat' of displaced climate refugees isn't as profitable as new fighter jets.