INFOTERRA-L carried this response to ENWL's Open Letter on Environmental War. ===== "Environmental warfare" aside, War has always been perhaps the single most destructive activity our species indulges itself in - destructive not only to the fabric of our own humanity, but also to the biosphere at large: when "the enemy" must be destroyed before he/she/it destroys you, you don't concern yourself with such trivial matters as the havoc your chemicals, bombs, underwater super-sonar systems, defoliants, depleted uranium and whatever else you can dig up, might wreak on local ecosystems and upon the biospere as a whole - you just do whatever it takes to kill, and let the "details" sort themselves out. The direct and indirect effects of war upon the environment (none of them positive!!) include; 1) direct destruction of biota via munitions, defoliants, fires, etc. 2) residual effects - dangerous chemicals remaining from war (dioxins, depleteted uranium, heavy metals, chemical warfare agents) leftover mines (which kill wildlife and not just people - they are "equal opportunity" destroyers!), equipment, weapons dumps, ammunition fragments, etc. 3) major alteration of the landscape of battlegrounds - many WW1 battlefields are still ecological dissaster areas, compared to what they were previously! 4) increased depletion of wildlife and forests, even in parks and other protected areas, by troops of various sorts and displaced citizens looking for food, shelter, firewood....marauding armies and displaced populations are VERY destructive, doing whatever they see as nessessary for "survival". 5) a breakdown of law and order, enabling criminals to pluder forests, poach whatever they like, such as elephants, bears, tigers, gorillas, rare birds, etc., with relative impunity. 6) diversion of governmental resources which might have been used for environmental monitoring, protection, resarch and enforcement of environmental laws - when you are at war, protecting the habitat of spotted owls becomes a VERY low priority!! 7) Massive environmental damage results from military research and the production of war materials: the military are concerned with weapons and killing - not environmental protection!! A good example is the vast amount of radioactive material the former Soviet Union released into the local environment, as well as huge amounts of toxic chemicals poorly stored (an American problem also!!) 8) distraction of attention from environmental concerns: the "general public" and the "media" have a limited amount of Discressional Attention, and also have short attention spans - in times of war and crisis, environmental matters tend to get put on the back burner! 9) a general diminution or cheapening of the "value" of all life: if you do not value the lives of members of your own species, then the lives of members of other species becomes a trivial matter. I submit that one of the pervasive and sytematic obstacles to environmental protection and restoration is war, in all its forms, and the activities and attitudes which accompany and result from it. Accordingly, the "environmental community" should be spending far more of its efforts in fighting attitudes that result in wars, and in promoting peace, as well as environmenatally responsible (and publically accountable!!) behavior of the military and its associated industrial activities. From the Great White North, Ross M. message sent by [EMAIL PROTECTED] TO SIGN THE OPEN LETTER, EMAIL [EMAIL PROTECTED] or [EMAIL PROTECTED] __________ earthradioTV.com - Alternative News Forum for ecology, politics & consciousness. mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] USA http://www.earthradioTV.com/ CZECH http://mujweb.cz/www/ecologynews/ UK http://members.tripod.co.uk/ecologynews/ Canada http://www.ecologynews.com/ >> <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/">www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance—not soap-boxing—please! 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