Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

US military is a bigger polluter than as many as 140 countries

theconversation.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

41–50 of 243 posts

Re: US military is a bigger polluter than as many as 140 countries

#41

Post by spoovy »

ssijak wrote: post #35
mc32 wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think you have to balance that against not preventing instability around the world. What would it look like if China, Russia, Iran and many others were unchecked and we let them do whatever they wanted... Now, the current admin is cutting back on involvement. Some candidates call for more interventionism. That we’re retreating from “our duty” to be international police, essentially. So what is it?

I think you are living inside a big bubble. When was the last time China showed military aggresion outside its borders, especialy on the other side of the world? US doing the “checking” around the world left countless people dead for nothing, and a lot of countries ruined. Not to mention trillions od dollars spent on financing that. US complain about Russia meddling with US elections (through 150k worth of Facebook a…

China is constantly showing aggression in the South China sea, outside of it's borders. Amazing how people can post with such confidence on something they clearly know literally nothing about.

Re: US military is a bigger polluter than as many as 140 countries

#42

Post by salex89 »

mc32 wrote: post #34
isostatic wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Much of the world's instability has been caused by the US being unchecked and doing whatever it wanted

And you can’t think of what would happen if we just let things happen out there? Yes we’re made monumental mistakes like Arab spring and gulf war II. But those would pale compared to what would happen if we just let things go. All those repressed military desires by dictators everywhere suddenly given a green light.

Being on the side "kept in check", believe me, we were better off on ourselves. Dictators fall one way or another, 3rd party military intervention is rarely selective and not a bit subtle with the collaterals.

Re: US military is a bigger polluter than as many as 140 countries

#43

Post by rat9988 »

mc32 wrote: post #34
isostatic wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Much of the world's instability has been caused by the US being unchecked and doing whatever it wanted

And you can’t think of what would happen if we just let things happen out there? Yes we’re made monumental mistakes like Arab spring and gulf war II. But those would pale compared to what would happen if we just let things go. All those repressed military desires by dictators everywhere suddenly given a green light.

I'm pretty sure countries' citizen as Lybia, Afghanistan, Syria, Irak would be way better without the US.

Re: US military is a bigger polluter than as many as 140 countries

#44

Post by rat9988 »

RobertoG wrote: post #15
Bucephalus355 wrote: post #4

This kind of research is well documented to be funded by foreign governments. The US Military night very well pollute an extraordinary amount, but such funding will mean we never get the emissions down in other countries and this has to be a global effort. The House Committee on Natural Resources has already sent several letters [1] to groups like the National Resource Defense Council asking why they have whitepapers…

Your post confused me. I though you were saying that this report was to be suspicious because is coming from an organization that maybe have ties to China. But it seems this report have nothing to do with that organization, but with some European universities. So, what are you saying? that the report is right but 'maybe' it was funded by another country because you don't like it?

The real question, is why for our very own military industry, we never have studied it. Why did we need others to fund it?

Re: US military is a bigger polluter than as many as 140 countries

#45

Post by brlewis »

mc32 wrote: post #18
Roxo wrote: post #2

Surprise, surprise, the military-industrial complex is destroying our planet. How people can still support this is beyond me.

I think you have to balance that against not preventing instability around the world. What would it look like if China, Russia, Iran and many others were unchecked and we let them do whatever they wanted... Now, the current admin is cutting back on involvement. Some candidates call for more interventionism. That we’re retreating from “our duty” to be international police, essentially. So what is it?

>you have to balance that against not preventing instability around the world

You are absolutely right. This statement is as true as saying you have to balance eating lavish restaurant meals 7 nights a week against letting your children starve. Completely true. However, if you're currently eating lavish restaurant meals 7 nights a week, the direction you need to go in toward balance is obvious.

Would you support reducing U.S. military spending from 2-3x that of China (the 2nd highest spender), to 1.5x?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_military_...

Re: US military is a bigger polluter than as many as 140 countries

#46

Post by easymodex »

mc32 wrote: post #18
Roxo wrote: post #2

Surprise, surprise, the military-industrial complex is destroying our planet. How people can still support this is beyond me.

I think you have to balance that against not preventing instability around the world. What would it look like if China, Russia, Iran and many others were unchecked and we let them do whatever they wanted... Now, the current admin is cutting back on involvement. Some candidates call for more interventionism. That we’re retreating from “our duty” to be international police, essentially. So what is it?

In my opinion USA is the one that needs to be kept in check, being the self proclaimed world police has left only destruction in it's wake. Covert operations, intelligence gathering is totally fine, but having several military bases in every country with an oil resource and forcing your will on innocent people thousands of miles away from your country is not. You are the aggressor and don't delude yourself otherwise.

Re: US military is a bigger polluter than as many as 140 countries

#47

Post by mms1973 »

This article focuses on carbon. CO2 is not "pollution" but a fundamental part of our atmosphere. CO2 is the basic food of plants. It is complete rubbish that CO2 levels have any link whatsoever with earth temperature.

The main factor in earth temperature is solar activity on which humans have ZERO control of.

Re: US military is a bigger polluter than as many as 140 countries

#48

Post by sailingparrot »

mc32 wrote: post #34
isostatic wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Much of the world's instability has been caused by the US being unchecked and doing whatever it wanted

And you can’t think of what would happen if we just let things happen out there? Yes we’re made monumental mistakes like Arab spring and gulf war II. But those would pale compared to what would happen if we just let things go. All those repressed military desires by dictators everywhere suddenly given a green light.

> All those repressed military desires by your actors are everywhere suddenly given a green light.

Too bad there is no one to repress the military desires by your American actors that are given green light to start arbitrary wars around the world, right?

Re: US military is a bigger polluter than as many as 140 countries

#49

Post by griffinkelly »

ssijak wrote: post #35
mc32 wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think you have to balance that against not preventing instability around the world. What would it look like if China, Russia, Iran and many others were unchecked and we let them do whatever they wanted... Now, the current admin is cutting back on involvement. Some candidates call for more interventionism. That we’re retreating from “our duty” to be international police, essentially. So what is it?

I think you are living inside a big bubble. When was the last time China showed military aggresion outside its borders, especialy on the other side of the world? US doing the “checking” around the world left countless people dead for nothing, and a lot of countries ruined. Not to mention trillions od dollars spent on financing that. US complain about Russia meddling with US elections (through 150k worth of Facebook a…

China is showing force against Taiwan: https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3004049/tai...

China is building islands all around the South China Sea: https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/21...

China now has a presence in Africa too: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/africa/pentagon-accuses-chinese...

Re: US military is a bigger polluter than as many as 140 countries

#50

Post by Proven »

That's the least of problems with the US military forces.

Of course they pollute more than 140 countries noone has ever heard of.

Just to make sure the article is as ludicrous as I thought it would be, I clicked on the link and read it:

> The money spent procuring and distributing fuel across the US empire could instead be spent as a peace dividend, helping to fund a Green New Deal in whatever form it might take.

Fix: give us those taxpayer monies and let us spend it all, down to last penny. Call it Green Plunder, not Peace Dividend.

Post reply on HN