By David Swanson, World BEYOND War, September 23, 2021
Yesterday something that has become tiresomely routine happened; I spoke to a college class about the most obvious climate solution, and neither the students nor the professor had ever heard of it. The 325 organizations (and climbing) listed at the bottom of this article are promoting it, and have joined 17,717 individuals (thus far) in signing a petition for it at http://cop26.info
Many of us have been screaming about it at the tops of our lungs for years and years, writing about it, making videos about it, organizing conferences on it. Yet it is ineluctably unknowable.
Here are the words of the petition:
To: Participants in COP26 UN Climate Change Conference, Glasgow, Scotland, November 1-12, 2021
As a result of final-hour demands made by the U.S. government during negotiation of the 1997 Kyoto treaty, military greenhouse gas emissions were exempted from climate negotiations. That tradition has continued.
The 2015 Paris Agreement left cutting military greenhouse gas emissions to the discretion of individual nations.
The UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, obliges signatories to publish annual greenhouse gas emissions, but military emissions reporting is voluntary and often not included.
NATO has acknowledged the problem but not created any specific requirements to address it.
There is no reasonable basis for this gaping loophole. War and war preparations are major greenhouse gas emitters. All greenhouse gas emissions need to be included in mandatory greenhouse gas emission reduction standards. There must be no more exception for military pollution.
We ask COP26 to set strict greenhouse gas emissions limits that make no exception for militarism, include transparent reporting requirements and independent verification, and do not rely on schemes to “offset” emissions. Greenhouse gas emissions from a country’s overseas military bases must be fully reported and charged to that country, not the country where the base is located.
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That’s it. That’s the idea. Include what for many countries is their top form of climate destruction in the agreements by which they purport to reduce climate destruction. It’s not rocket science, though it could entail redirecting some funding out of rocket science.
But we’re dealing with fog facts here, facts that are perfectly available yet seemingly impossible to get any significant percentage of people to hear about.
We have a few ideas for how to fix this problem.
One is to take the petition and all of our energy and creativity to Glasgow for the COP26 conference together with attention-getting-organization-extraordinaire CODEPINK.
Another is to do the same for the pre-COP26 events happening very soon in Milan, Italy.
Another is this: we encourage groups and individuals to organize events to advance this message wherevever on Earth you are on or about the big day of action in Glasgow on November 6, 2021. Resources and ideas for events are here.
Another is for even more people and organizations to sign the petition at http://cop26.info
Another is to support the production of this forthcoming film:
Another is to share this excellent video:
But we’re looking for more ideas from you. It’s only the future of life on Earth we’re talking about here. If you’ve got any ideas, please pass them along to info@worldbeyondwar.org
These organizations have, thus far, signed the petition:
World BEYOND War • CODEPINK: Women for Peace • Extinction Rebellion Peace • Veterans For Peace • Environmental Defense Institute • World Without War and Without Violence • Extinction Rebellion GreyPower • Swords Into Ploughshares • Friends of the Earth Australia • Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom • Frontline Action on Coal • Scottish Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament • Grand Parents Climate Campaign • Global Campaign on Military Spending • Our Climate Declaration NZ • Pax Christi • Climate Action Leicester and Leicestershire • Peace & Justice (Scotland) • Micronesia Climate Change Alliance • Physicians for Social Responsibility • Sierra Club Maryland Chapter • Global Campaign for Peace Education • Transition Edinburgh • Protect All Children’s Environment • International Fellowship of Reconciliation (IFOR) • Solar Wind Works • 1000 Grandmothers for Future Generations • 350 CT • 350 Eugene • 350 Humboldt • 350 Kishwaukee • 350 Martha’s Vineyard Island • 350 Oregon Central Coast • Abbasso la Guerra OdV • A Call to Actions • AbFaNG Aktionsb√ºndnis f√ºr Frieden • aktive Neutralit√§t und Gewaltfreiheit • Americans Who Tell the Truth • Arbeitskreis Recycling e.V. • ARGE Schöpfungsverantwortung • Argonauti per la Pace – Mondo senza Guerre e senza Violenza • Assemblée Européenne des Citoyens • Athena 21 • Australian Nonviolence Projects • Australian Religious Response to Climate Change • AWMR Italia Donne della Regione Mediterranea • Bagwe Agro-Forestry and Cashew Programme • Baltimore Nonviolence Center • Baltimore Phil Berrigan Memorial Veterans For Peace • Basel Peace Office • Beati i costruttori di pace • Begegnungszentrum für aktive Gewaltlosigkeit • Bergen County Green Party • Bimblebox Alliance Inc. • Beyond War • Beyond War and Miliatarism • Beyond War and Militarism Syracuse • Boundary Peace Initiative • Bristol Airport Action Network • Bucks County Foodshed Alliance • California for a World BEYOND War • California Peace Alliance • Cameroon for a World BEYOND War • Campaign Against Arms Trade • Campaign for International Cooperation and Disarmament (CICD) • Canadian Friends Service Committee (Quakers) • Canberra and Region Quakers • Center of International Humanitarian Law & Human Rights • Center for Encounter an Active Non-Violence • Centre for Peace Advancement and Socio-Economic Development • Centro Documentazione del Manifesto Pacifista Internazionale • Ceryx • Cessez d’alimenter la Guerre • Chester County Peace Movement • Choose Life Abort War Podcast For Peace • Christians for Peace • Citizens Aware of Government Activities • Climate Action Now Western Mass • Climate Change Community LLC • Climate Change & Militarism Project of Veterans For Peace • Coalition to Protect New York • CODEPINK Golden Gate • Columban Justice and Peace Korea • Common Sense ink.org • Community for Earth • Community Organizing Center • Conejo Climate Coalition • Congregation of Sisters of St. Agnes • Corafid Centre for Innovation and Research • Corvallis Climate Action Alliance • Corvallis Interfaith Climate Justice Committee • Corvallis (Oregon) Friends Meeting • Corvallis Divest from War • Creative Conscience • Democratic World Federalists • Disarmament and Security Centre • Dorothy Day Catholic Worker Washington DC • Drawdown Toronto • Earth Action, Inc. • Earth and Peace Education Associates • Earth Care not Warfare • Ecojustice Legal Action Centre • EcoMaties Sustainability Society • Environmental Defense Institute • Environmental Justice Taskforce of the WNY Peace Center • Environmentalists Against War • Extinction Rebellion San Francisco Bay Area • First Unitarian Church Portland OR • Florida Veterans for Common Sense • FMKK, the Swedish antinuclear movement • Fredsr√∂relsen p√• Orust • Friedensregion Bodensee e.V. • Friends for Peacebuilding and Conflict Prevention • Fundacion De Estudioa Biologicos • Genesee Valley Citizens for Peace • George Mason University Center for Climate Change Communication • Gerrarik Ez √âibar • Global Action on Aging • Global Anti-Aerotropolis Movement • Global Campaign for Peace Education Japan • Global Mediation Team • Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space • Global Strategy of Nonviolence • Grand Junction for Peace • Grassroots Global Justice Alliance • Grassroots Peacebuiding Organization • Gray2Green Movement • Greater Boston Physicians for Social Responsibility • Green Earth Goods llc • Green Party of Monmouth County NJ • Green Schools Project • Groundwater Awareness League • Ground Zero Center for Nonviolent Action • Hastings Against War • Hawaii Peace and Justice • Healing Worlds • Hilton Head for Peace • Holy Spirit Missionary Sisters, USA-JPIC • Human Environmental Association for Development • Hunter Peace Group • Independent and Peaceful Australia Network • Indo Canadian Workers Association • Institutional Climate Action (ICA) • International Institute on Peace Education • International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (Germany) • Internationaler Versöhnungsbund • Internationaler Versöhnungsbund Osterreich • Irthlingz Arts-Based Environmental Education • Jemez Peacemakers • Kathy Loper Events.com • Konscious Kontractors • La Socio-ecological union international • Laudato Si • Left Ecological Forum • Leicester Friends of the Earth • Leonard Peltier Defense Committee • Let’s talk peace – Ballarat • Leveretts MA PEACEWORKS Now Group • Levis Productions, ltd. • L.I.Alliance for Peaceful Alternatives • Liberty Tree Foundation for the Democratic Revolution • LIFT Toronto • Light Path Resources • Maine Natural Guard • Manchester and Warrington AM Quaker Peace Group • Manhattan Local of the Green Party • Mani Rosse Antirazziste • Mariposa Habitat Nursery • Marrickville Peace Group • Mass. Peace Action • Maui Peace Action • Meiklejohn Civil Liberties Institute • Michigan Interfaith Power & Light • Midcoast Green Collaborative • Mid-Missouri Fellowship of Reconciliation (FOR) • Migrante Australia in NSW • Missionary Society of Saint Columban • Monterey Peace and Justice Center • Monteverde Community Fund • Montrose Peace Vigil • Movement for the Abolition of War • Movimiento por un mundo sin guerras y sin violencia • Mt Diablo Peace and Justice Center • National War Tax Resistance Coordinating Committee • Network for Environmental & Economic Responsibility of UCC • New York Climate Action Group • NH Veterans for Peace • Niagara Movement for Justice in Palestine-Israel Canada • Nobel Peace Prize Watch • No More Bombs • Nonviolence International • Nonviolent Austin • Norfolk Catholic Worker/ Sadako Sasaki Hospitality House • North Country Peace Group • North East Dialogue Forum • Nottingham CND • Nova Scotia Voice of Women for Peace • Nuclear Age Peace Foundation • Nukewatch • OccupyBergenCounty (New Jersey) • Office of Peace, Justice, and Ecological Integrity, Sisters of Charity of Saint Elizabeth • Oregon PeaceWorks • Oregon Physicians for Social Responsibility • Our Common Wealth 670 • Our Drowning Voices • Pacific Climate Watch • Pacific Peace Network • Partera (Peacebuilders) International • Party for Animal Welfare • Party for Animal Welfare (Ireland) • Pasikifa Uprising • Pax Christi Australia • Pax Christi Hilton Head • Pax Christi MA • Pax Christi Seed Planters/IL/USA • Pax Christi Western NY • Peace Action & Veterans for Peace of Broome County, NY • Peace Action Maine • Peace Action New York State • Peace Action of San Mateo County • Peace Action of WI • Peace & Planet News • Peace Coalition of Southern Illinois • Peace Fresno • Peace House Gothenburg • Peace Movement Aotearoa • Peace Women Partners • Peaceworks • Peaceworks Midland • Permaculture for Refugees • PIF Global Foundation • Preventnuclearwar-Maryland • Prioneer Valley Local Chapter of the Green Rainbow Party of MA • Progresemaj esperantistoj/progressive Esperanto speakers • Progressive Democrats of America CA • Quaker Peace and Social Witness • Reject Raytheon Asheville • ReThinking Foreign Policy • Rise Up Times • Rochdale and Littleborough Peace Group • RootsAction.org • Roy Kendall Inc. • S.A.P. Pressing • Science for Peace • Science for Peace Canada • Seattle Anti-War Coalition • Seattle Fellowship of Reconciliation • Shadow World Investigations • Show Up! America • Simple Gifts • Sisters of Charity Federation • Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth JPIC Office • Sisters of St Joseph • Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet • Small Business Alliance • Social Justice Coalition • Socio-ecological union international • SocioEnergetics Foundation • SolidarityINFOService • Sortir du nucleaire Paris • St. Anthony Social Justice Ministry • Stay Grounded • St. Pete for Peace • Stop Fuelling War • Stopp NATO • Sunflower Alliance • Suffolk Progressive Vision • Swedish Peace Council • Swords into Plowshares Peace Center & Gallery • Tauiwi Solutions • TERRA Energiewende • The Ecotopian Society • The Graham F Smith Peace Foundation Inc. • The Humanitarian League Advocacy • The I AM University • The Peoples Initiative Foundation • The Resistance Center for Peace and Justice • Tid Til Fred – aktiv mod krig • Tipping Point North South • Touching Earth Sangha • Traprock Center for Peace & Justice • Tree House Healing Ministry • Trident Ploughshares • Twin Cities Nonviolent Movement • Ukrainian Pacifist Movement • Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Corvallis • Universal Alliance • Unjourlapaix • Vermont Military Poisons Coalition • Veterans For Peace 13 • Veterans For Peace 14 • Veterans For Peace 26 • Veterans For Peace 27 • Veterans For Peace 35 • Veterans for Peace 50 • Veterans For Peace 51 • Veterans For Peace 71 • Veterans For Peace 92 • Veterans For Peace 106 • Veterans For Peace 113 • Veterans For Peace 115 • Veterans For Peace 132 • Wage Peace • Washington Against Nuclear Weapons • Washington Physicians for Social Responsibility • West Australian Regional Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) • Whatcom Peace & Justice Center • White Rabbit Grove RDNA • Women Against Military Madness • Women Against Nuclear Power • Women for Peace • Women for Peace, Finland • Women’s Climate Congress • Women’s EcoPeace • Women in Black Vienna • Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom, Canada • Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom, Italia • Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom, Norway • Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom, UK • World BEYOND War, Central Florida • World BEYOND War, South Africa • World Peace Berlin • Working group elektrbiology • Works In Progress • Youth Peace Network.
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