Court Painter & War Montage
Between 2010 and 2020, conflicts around the world almost doubled from 30 to 56, and with them, the industry of war has blossomed. War machines, military exercises, and defence infrastructures demand enormous quantities of natural resources and contribute significantly to climate breakdown.
Studies show : Climate Collateral: Why the military’s impact on climate change can no longer be ignored at COP28 (PDF, 765.38 KB) that global militaries are the world’s biggest industrial polluters, contributing 2,750 million tonnes of carbon dioxide, or 5.5% of all greenhouse gas emissions.
This is more than all 52 countries in the African continent combined, and almost three times as much as the civil aviation industry. And this figure does not include emissions generated from the conflict itself.
There is also a strong correlation between a country’s military spending and the amount of emissions it produces, with wealthier nations who bear the burden of responsibility for the climate crisis spending 30 times more on financing their military than on tackling climate change.
Despite ample evidence showing that militarisation accelerates climate breakdown, global military spending reached an all-time high of $2.24 trillion in 2022, with the 31 NATO states alone accounting for over half of this value.
And with war in Gaza, Ukraine, Yemen, Sudan and Myanmar and many more, this is set to continue rising.
Source: Excerpted from New Arab article December 11/23
War Bucks Installation
Court Painter & Apocalyptic Museum of Grief