Deborah Burton Contribution

SHIFTING POWER AND MONEY: The Military

COP28 – SIDE EVENT – DECEMBER 10 2023

QUNO

Amnesty International has said ‘the failure of our governments to act on the climate crisis, in the face of overwhelming scientific evidence, may well be the biggest intergenerational human rights violation in history.’

And, as extensions of their respective govts, the big militaries of the world have most certainly played their part in this over the decades.

So to the first question put to each of us here today at this side event:

What does true, transformational climate action mean to me?

Let me briefly explain the scale of the problem first.

The global military are estimated to account for 5.5% of Global GHG emissions

To give context to this, 1.4bn people of the 54 countries on the African continent are responsible for 3.5 – 4%.

By 2030 – when we are meant to have cut emissions by 45% – the big military spenders of the world will have allocated approx $13trillion to their utterly fossil fuel-reliant militaries.

Also by 2030 – the UN’s high level expert group on climate finance last year said developing nations (excluding China) need to RAISE some $2.4 trillion a year for clean energy and climate resilience.

So to answer the question what does true, transformational climate action mean to me?

It means putting the role and the responsibility of the big heavily fossil fuel reliant militaries in the climate change frame and mandating them to give full and transparent reporting of their emissions.

It means fully understanding that these military emissions are enabled by those nations with high military spending.

It means recognising that cuts to military emissions can only happen by cuts to military spending

It means understanding that cuts to military spending can be win-win for climate and climate finance.

So to the 2nd question we were asked to think about: What shifts in the current money/power structures would help deliver true transformational climate action as a peace and justice multiplier,

To shift money – and power – in relation to military spending, what would this look like?

Well, G20 nations account for 87% of global military spending = $2.2 tr currently.

Military spending has increased 20% in past 10 years

This is before Ukraine and now Gaza.

Since military spending reflects, indeed reinforces economic power, regional power, the military industrial complex is engrained in the economies of wealthy countries.

For example, in the UK, it is the 4th largest item of expenditure and the USA alone accounts for 40% of global military spending.

Collectively, the 31 member countries of NATO account for half – $1.1 trillion annually.

So in the midst of an existential planetary crisis what are we seeing?

The intensification of military actions.

Military objectives being put above climate targets.

And arms industry profits soaring.

A major shift in money and power in relation to military spending means giving real VALUE FOR MONEY – prioritising and investing in the things that give communities and societies

Giving REAL SAFETY – whether proper climate finance, conflict prevention and peace-building, pandemic preparedness – and yes, upending economic inequality. All these elements are central to human safety.

FINALLY, TO THE 3RD QUESTION: EXAMPLES

I’m actually going to give a big picture example of what CAN be done when you have political leadership that knows the time has come to paradigm shift. To face monumental challenge and make the change because you MUST.

When the Soviet Union collapsed -peacefully – thanks to one man, Michael Gorbachev – he took the decision to cut back the military.  Soviet military spending fell and guess what, so did the USA’s.

We reached the lowest post-war level of military spending in the mid 1990s.

We need the trillions spent on war machines – such as we are seeing Gaza and Ukraine – redirected. In this way, humanity will receive the peace dividend and climate dividend it so deserves and needs.

Critically these calls must lead to long overdue questions about the meaning of defence in this 21st century.

We need a new vision for global co-operation, rooted in this shared humanity facing this era of global boiling where climate goals are no longer put second to military objectives

Then we would be seeing how the Shifting of money and power can deliver true transformational climate action with peace and justice at its heart.