Adrian Huq making the point, on the Green.
My name is Adrian Huq, and I am an 18 year-old organizer for the New Haven Climate Movement. When the New Haven Peace Commission reached out to our organization on if we would endorse their referendum on the New Haven ballot — “Shall Congress prepare for health and climate crises by transferring funds from the military budget to cities for human needs, jobs, and an environmentally sustainable economy?” — I knew this was something we needed to support from a moral and climate-focused perspective.
The pandemic has changed life as we know it and has proven our country woefully unprepared for a public health crisis. With a military budget absorbing 55% of our federal budget, our country’s priorities are clear.
I want anyone who cares about our climate to know climate change and militarism are connected causes. Militarism greatly degrades the environment and contributes directly to climate change. Additionally, the fossil fuel industry relies on militarization to uphold its operations around the globe. Both the military and fossil fuel industries deem some lives more valuable than others.
When we over-invest in the military, we under-invest in areas like human needs and environmental sustainability. Compared to the $6.4 trillion spent on war in the past 20 years, the cost of shifting the U.S. power grid to 100% renewable energy is estimated to cost $4.5 trillion. Instead of funding endless wars, we could have shifted off our country’s fossil-fuel reliance with money to spare. A majority vote of “yes” on this referendum can pressure local officials to advocate for hard-earned tax money going towards our city’s needs and climate solutions rather than the military.
Out of federal taxes paid by taxpayers in New Haven in 2019, $164 million went towards military spending. We know our city is in a constant financial crisis, but it’s time to push back on the notion that funds are not available. The money does exist; it is just being sent to fund endless destruction rather than ensure security and resources at home. It is time to take a stand for the funds our community needs and stop feeding into the unethical killings and widespread environmental destruction carried out by the federal military.
Similar to how the U.S. solves international problems by invading and killing, our police are many times a violent and occupying force in Black and brown communities. As we have conversations about defunding the police and redistributing funds to communities, we must also discuss defunding the military, which has an even larger budget to carry out mass violence. Especially in a pandemic, our military spending is extravagant and wasteful.
I want to grow up in a country that values sustaining life rather than killing innocent people across the world. One without wars and violent interference, where the focus is on quality education and services for our youth, carbon neutrality, climate resilience, clean air and water, affordable housing, quality outdoor spaces and community centers, universal healthcare, high paying jobs, free college and trade schools, and eliminating homelessness and food insecurity.
Post-pandemic, we cannot go back to business as usual and continue destroying our planet. In a year where multiple climate disasters have taken place and when systemic racism and working class struggles are more apparent than ever, we need to move towards a more just and sustainable future, starting with voting “yes” on the peace referendum this Election Day.
Outstanding statement nails what is wrong and what to do to right it. The jobs that now employ our neighbors in killing can be converted to jobs that heal - heal our infrastructure, heal our constricted education, heal our inadequate health system. Not only must we pass this referendum with a massive "yes" vote, we must take it to our federal elected officials and insist that they urgently begin the process to convert from our war economy to a green, peace economy. We can prevent the worst ravages of climate scorching. We can prevent a civilization-ending nuclear holocaust. We have the know-how. We must create the political will.