America’s Iran war for oil signals environmental disaster

Dr. A war for oil only fuels conflict, burns the planet, increases emissions and buries climate action under the rubble of geopolitics, writes William Briggs.

THE US-ISRAEL war against Iran could be resolved in a month, maybe two. Repairing the damage economically, politically and environmentally is a completely different matter.

As Israel continues its murderous work, the loss of human lives, destruction of civilian infrastructure, and devastation of much of Lebanon is known to all of us, and we lament the slaughter of innocents.

The focus of attention in Australia has been almost exclusively on the price and availability of fuel and whether gas should be taxed at a fairer rate. All of this is understandable.

Before the war, there was near consensus that we needed to do more to save the planet. It was clear that little was being done to reduce emissions. international meetings We offer pleas that always fall on deaf ears, like the world controlled by the few and obsessed with the need to extract as much profit as humanly, or more accurately inhumanly, possible from a warming planet.

Then came the US and Israel’s decision to destroy Iran and the ensuing oil crisis. Oil became a topic daily. How to achieve this, whether to drill more wells and how to refine them, has become the most pressing consideration of all. The needs of the planet, that is, the real needs of humans to live on a habitable planet, have been silenced and effectively pushed aside.

War has the potential to spread like a virus. Global great power competition continues. America and China are locked in a struggle for economic hegemony. What is happening and happening in the Middle East is horrifying. What could happen if this war turns into a regional or global war? He is a beggar of faith.

A report was recently published by the Climate and Society Institute (CCI). CCI is a progressive climate and economic think tank. The analysis, based on evidence from the first two weeks of the war, shows that more carbon and gas emissions were produced than Iceland emitted in a year.

A total of 5.1 million metric tons of carbon dioxide were released in those two weeks. This resulted from the destruction of civilian infrastructure, the burning of oil stored in refineries and tankers, the inevitable fuel consumed in combat and support operations, the destruction of military equipment and the mass use of supplies; drones, missiles and weapons used by all parties.

The first 14 days of the US-Israeli war against Iran produced emissions equivalent to the combined emissions of the world’s 84 lowest-emitting countries.

We can only imagine the consequences of a global war, even with conventional weapons.

Not enough attention is paid to these crimes against humanity. But any country’s military can and does operate with impunity. When emissions are “counted” the military’s emissions are not included. Kyoto Protocol permits such exemptions from record keeping.

total carbon footprint The ratio of the world’s armies is such that if it were a single country, it would be the fourth largest emitter. If the American military were a single country, it would rank among the worst emitters in the world, or 47th on the planet.

With such a mentality, the USA will collapse moving forward. He has one important goal: to maintain power and cause trouble for anyone who gets in his way.

We need not imagine the immediate struggle for more fossil fuels among all nations in the wake of the Iran war. The CCI report reminds us that every energy shock is accompanied by a dramatic increase in the extraction of fossil fuels. Expanded drilling and expanded LNG developments will follow, stabilizing decades of rising emissions.

The war was not about regime change or the liberation of an oppressed people. It was about the control of oil as a means of maintaining capitalist market power. US President Trump, unlike his predecessors, tells the facts as he sees them, saying how the US has traditionally seen things but leaving it unsaid.

as Trump stated At the beginning of April:

If I had the choice, I would keep the oil.

Unfortunately, the American people want us to come home. If it were up to me, I would buy the oil, I would keep the oil, it would bring a lot of money.

It is this same pirate worldview that led the United States to seize Venezuelan oil.

It is becoming increasingly difficult to support the United States and its imperialist view of the world and its place in it. More states are looking at alternative arrangements, and then there is Australia and its immediate acceptance of its vassal-like status.

A little over a year ago, Wall Street Magazine He released a short propaganda video extolling the advantages of the US military using Australia as a convenient piece of real estate in preparations for war against China. Despite the fiasco in the Iran adventure, the USA’s eyes are still focused on the region and the “deal” with China.

In this short video, viewers are told that thousands of US troops will be deployed on a patrol in the Northern Territory, that Taiwan will be the “flashpoint” of a future conflict, and that the US will intervene. While it was stated that Australia was a “strategic centre”, the old saying that Australia was an “unsinkable aircraft carrier” was repeated.

The video points out that in the event of war with China, US bases and fuel reserves will be “vulnerable” to attack, but that Australia is a “safe” place because it is some distance from Chinese missiles. This is a ridiculous claim as Australia is so close by. The US’s shameful actions include the construction of fuel tanks holding 300,000 liters of jet fuel in silos just 15 kilometers from the Darwin CBD.

Bases are scattered across Australia, yet our leaders continue to kneel before the power and investment of the United States. Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles He recently spoke glowingly about innovation National Defense Strategy The newly published document bearing his signature as the Minister of Defense.

That document states:

The United States is our closest ally and principal strategic partner. Our alliance contributes to the peace and stability of the region…

Any effective military balance of power in the Indo-Pacific will require the continued presence and role of the United States…

Australia’s force posture cooperation with the United States will continue to be a central pillar of our Alliance. It supports Australia’s ability to deter and respond, strengthens the credibility and resilience of the US force posture in the region, and supports collective deterrence efforts.

May God help us all. The war against Iran and Lebanon has plunged the world into economic chaos and dealt a devastating blow to any chance of finding a solution to the climate change crisis. Continued US policies, if left unchecked, could mean that the carnage in the Middle East is a taste of things to come.

Australians need to stand firm and demand that our real interests come first, not those of sycophantic governments of all stripes.

Dr William Briggs is a political economist. His particular interests are political theory and international political economy. He has variously been a teacher, journalist and political activist.

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