Fracking increases Pentagon aggression

It is well-known that the U.S. war machine is the biggest single polluter in the world. While [the People’s Republic of] China increasingly focuses on developing electric vehicles and other green technologies to reduce global warming, [neo]imperialists are intent on expanding wars and ecocide.

In just over a week, two major hurricanes whose size, power and enormous rainfall is linked to climate warming — Hurricanes Helene and Milton — wreaked havoc on several states in the South. Rather than dedicate time, money and science to find ways to curb deadly and destructive storms stemming from climate change, Congress voted for billions of dollars more for weapons to Israel, while simultaneously cutting funds for the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Fracking has been blamed for leaking millions of tons of methane — a greenhouse gas considered more potent than carbon dioxide. According to a new major research study, exported gas emits far more greenhouse gas emissions than coal. The research by Cornell University environmental scientist Robert Howarth found that LNG is 33% worse than coal in terms of planet-heating emissions over a 20-year period. (Guardian, Oct. 4)

The actual burning of natural gas only accounts for a third of total emissions. The process of drilling, moving, cooling and shipping gas from country to country uses twice as much energy. The review, published in the Energy Science and Engineering journal concludes that “ending the use of LNG should be a global priority.”

Workers should demand that instead of passing laws to protect fossil gas fracking, legislatures across the U.S. should pass laws to protect the planet by outlawing fracking.