US Veterans call for climate action

US Veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars urge the US Senate to agree on climate legislation to protect the nation’s safety and security.

US soldiers should not be sent on dangerous missions around the world that could have been prevented by climate legislation, a group of veterans known as “Operation Free” argues in a pledge to the US Senate to agree on climate legislation.

The group, representing 150 veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, highlights the link between climate change and national security. The veterans met with senators this week to urge them to pass legislation that cuts carbon emissions, creates incentives for using clean energy, and promotes energy efficiency.

“We want to see these principles become law so America can call its own shots in the world, combat climate change, and protect our nation’s safety and security,” says Jonathan Powers of the Truman National Security Project, one of the organizations coordinating Operation Free, to Oneworld.net.

“Simply put, not passing a comprehensive clean energy and climate bill doesn’t just mean continuing sending oil profits to terrorists. It means our men in uniform operating in a world where they are constantly deployed, overstretched, and putting their lives on the line, all to deal with scenarios that we could have prevented, but didn’t,” he says.

The US Senate has also received an open letter from twelve major US companies, among them Google, Nike, Dell, Johnson & Johnson, and Hewlett-Packard, urging the Senate to pass strong climate legislation. (Photo: Scanpix/Reuters)

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