The military’s impact on the Earth.

The Republic of Korea, where I was born, is a country where the war has not yet ended, so the military was a very important issue for adult men. Currently, adult males over the age of 18 are obliged to serve in the military for 1 year and 6 months. As a Korean citizen, I also have to go to the military in the not-too-distant future. While I was serving in the military, I thought it was my duty and the right thing to do to protect people.

But after reading this article, “Climate Collapse and the Responsibility of the Military,” I have a little question: Does maintaining and developing a military really benefits citizens?

In this article, the US military accounts for 25% of the total US consumption of oil, which is itself 25% of the total world consumption. The US Sixth Fleet, is one of the most polluting entities in the Mediterranean Sea. The US Air Force (USAF) is the single largest consumer of jet fuel in the world. At first, I thought other countries would not be like this because it is the United States, which has the most powerful military in the world. However, as a result of research, Korea was not different. A huge amount of oil was being used by the military.

Currently, the use of this vast amount of oil has increased the world’s greenhouse gases by about 30 percent, accelerating global warming. The problem is that even knowing these facts, countries cannot give up their military. This is because the only means to protect its citizens is the existence of the military.

Realizing this fact, I wondered if the military I thought was protecting us was actually destroying the earth that had been protecting us for a long time. That question was further amplified after reading this passage in the article above: It has been estimated that 20% of all environmental degradation around the world is due to military and related activities.

Looking at Korea, where the war has not yet ended, there are plenty of reasons why the country should not give up its military. I also think that the military is an essential existence. So, can we make the military protect the planet that protects us from the front line and also protect the people?

I think one of these ways is to find a fuel to replace oil, such as natural gas. Even if it is not a 100% substitute, we believe that if we increase the amount of substitutes little by little, we can get the results we want.

Then, what other ways can you keep the military while saving the environment that came to mind after reading this article?