"Climate Collateral": How Military Spending Fuels Environmental Damage

As the U.N. climate conference in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, is underway, we look at how military spending accelerates the climate crisis. Wealthy nations' investments in armed forces not only exacerbate pollution but also often surpass their climate financing by as much as 30 times, according to a new report by the Transnational Institute. It shows the money is available, "but it's been dedicated to military spending," says co-author Nick Buxton. Governments that import arms, like Egypt, are motivated by the desire for legitimacy and the "power to crack down on the civil society," adds Muhammad al-Kashef, human rights lawyer and migration activist.

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