By Alan Mytty, Illinois for a World BEYOND War, August 16, 2023
Published by The News-Gazette.
The horrendous war in Ukraine has millions of victims, including 354,000 Russian and Ukrainian soldiers who have been killed or injured (as of April 2023), possibly 50,000 Ukrainian amputees and 11.6 million displaced Ukrainians.
A war for freedom and democracy? Tell that to those people.
But I also want to call attention to another victim of the war in Ukraine: the climate of the Earth. War swallows the funding and attention needed to protect the Earth.
Wars are huge contributors to the destruction of the climate and Earth. They block cooperation between governments. They create suffering through disruption of current fuel sources. They allow the celebration of increased fossil-fuel use — releasing reserves and shipping U.S. fossil fuels to Europe. They distract attention for scientists’ reports on the climate even when those reports are screaming in ALL CAPS that we must do all we can to mitigate the effects of climate change.
This war risks nuclear and climate disaster. Ending it through a negotiated settlement that will partially please and displease all sides is the only sensible path.
Must all Ukrainians die? Must all Russians die? Must our climate suffer even more? Stop the killing, and push for a settlement. End this war.
ALAN MYTTY
Champaign, IL, USA
2 Responses
#endwarsaveworld
Let us all thank Alan for his succinct list of the ways our climate is suffering more because of the war in Ukraine, for his genuine persuasiveness.
YES to negotiations and settlement, quickly.