Wars and Arms Manufacturing

Posted on December 21, 2020 by Don Young

Armaments and Warfare also “Destroy the Planet”
“Mention ‘destroying the planet’ to most people and they quite rightly think about Climate Change. But did you know that warfare and arms manufacture is nearly as destructive? For example, there have been ONE MILLION deaths from wars since 9/11, including 300,000 in the dreadful Yemen conflict. Also, the horrible Syrian civil war has caused 14 MILLION to flee from their communities. So, dear readers, whilst Britain and America dedicate themselves to zero net carbon emissions, we should realise that the three largest manufacturers of weapons of destruction are American, followed by Britain and France!!”

Many people believe that Global Warming and Climate Change are the main or only causes of Destruction of our Planet. Or maybe, they believe that wars and destruction are caused by climate change, shortage of food or migration due to starvation.

These things are of course true, but behind the scenes are wars caused by national rivalry, the actions of psychopathic leaders, desire for conquest, struggles for power, religious conflict and a whole raft of causes which have little to do with climate change. But what such wars do is almost as bad for the Planet as the effects of excess carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.

THE DAILY SLAUGHTER
– Post 9/11 One million deaths from war – Refugees from Syrian war 14m – Deaths in Yemen from 2019 300,000

At any one time in the last 50 years, since World War Two, there have been armed conflicts between nations, tribes and psychopathic leaders. Oppression of whole populations caused by violent groups and individuals have caused endless misery and yes, destruction of the planet.

Times of Poverty
– Number of people displaced by war since 9/11 90 million – 70% of refugee families live in poverty

If we look under the surface, an even more horrendous scenario begins to show is ugly face. Here is a quick count of the nations that possess Nuclear weapons, capable of wiping out whole nations, most of which make the American obliteration of Hiroshima and Nagasaki seem rather puny:
United States, Great Britain, Russia China, France, Israel, India, Pakistan, North Korea all possess nuclear weapons capable of causing massive long lasting damage.

And equally horrific, but maybe a small touch less destructive, are poison gases, some of which can also wipe out whole populations.

And a bit further down the “Food Chain” of destruction are so-called “conventional weapons”, bombs, rockets, guns, military aircraft and high explosives.

Most of these weapons of destruction are traded between nation states quite legally. But behind the legal flow of weapons of destruction is a vast trade in illegal weapons, which fuel countless wars and insurrections.

All of this can validly be called DESTROYING THE PLANET just as much as burning coal, oil and gas – owning and using gas-guzzling vehicles, over-eating red meat. Maybe the main differences are that most commentators are fixated on the more conventional aspects of global warming and have not realised that there are many ways of destroying the planet.

So, I will have a look a the array of weapons of destruction – and maybe more interesting, who makes and trades them…

Flooding and Fire

World’s largest weapons Manufacturers

Here are the top 5….

1. Lockheed Martin Corp. (USA): $44.9 billion

The largest arms manufacturer in the world, Lockheed Martin specializes in everything from global defence, security and aerospace.

2. Boeing (US): $26.9 billion

Boeing, which is one of the most well-known manufacturers in the world, focuses on selling everything from aeroplanes to rockets, satellites and telecommunications equipment.