The War and Environment Reader

by Gar Smith (Ed.)

"Human intelligence, in its unique glory, has contrived two mechanisms to destroy us and much else: nuclear weapons and environmental catastrophe, closely linked. It has yet to contrive the cure for the lethal malady, a task that must be undertaken without delay. The essays collected here explore the depths and imminence of the crises, and outline directions that must be pursued, and urgently."Noam Chomsky, Institute Professor & Professor of Linguistics emeritus

The War and Environment Reader

The War and Environment Reader explores the historical, political and psychological roots of war, the business of war, the environmental and social consequences of war, and the alternatives to war. While many books have examined the broader topic of military conflict, most neglect to focus on damage military violence inflicts on regional—and global—ecosystems.

The War and Environment Reader, edited by Gar Smith, provides a critical analysis of the devastating consequences of "war on the environment" with perspectives drawn from a wide array of diverse voices and global perspectives.

The contributors include scores of writers and activists, many with first-hand field experience of war's impacts on nature. Authors include: Medea Benjamin, Helen Caldicott, Marjorie Cohn, Daniel Ellsberg, Robert Fisk, Ann Jones, Michael Klare, Winona LaDuke, Jerry Mander, Margaret Mead, Vandana Shiva, David Swanson, Jody Williams and S. Brian Willson.

"Human intelligence, in its unique glory, has contrived two mechanisms to destroy us and much else: nuclear weapons and environmental catastrophe, closely linked. It has yet to contrive the cure for the lethal malady, a task that must be undertaken without delay. The essays collected here explore the depths and imminence of the crises, and outline directions that must be pursued, and urgently."NOAM CHOMSKY
Institute Professor & Professor of Linguistics emeritus, MIT
"We don’t really know the true horrors of war —the deep psychological, physical, economical, and environmental damages and scars that result from one group’s actions to prepare and wage violence against someone else. This Reader offers the most diverse set of voices ever collected together to try to describe those horrors, including essays written over many years about the often-unseen consequences of our actions. Read these stories in the hopes that future ones need never be written."PETER GLEICK
environmental scientist, communicator
"The War and Environment Reader is packed with powerful writings, from classics by Margaret Mead to recent investigations of drone strikes, about why war happens, how it affects us, and how we can stop it. Everyone who cares about humanity's most urgent problem—in other words, everyone—should read this book."JOHN HORGAN
science journalist and author, The End of War
"Anyone who studies environmentalism learns about climate change, biodiversity loss, and hazardous chemical pollution; but too often a major environmental threat is overlooked: war. Both caused by, and contributing to, environmental harm, war undermines our chance to live sustainably on this beautiful planet. Gar Smith's War and Environment Reader is a gift to our movement; it is a powerful collection of voices exploring war from many perspectives, and calling for a green and peaceful way forward. Please read this book and join the call!"ANNIE LEONARD
Executive Director, Greenpeace US; author The Story of Stuff
"Even if war were moral, legal, defensive, beneficial to the spread of freedom, and inexpensive, we would be obliged to make abolishing it our top priority solely because of the case laid out so powerfully in this book: war is destroying this planet."DAVID SWANSON
Director, World Beyond War; author, War Is a Lie
"This anthology is a much-needed volume of essays on the negative impact that the militarization of our world has on our planet—on the humans, animals, plants, oceans, lands, and air. The question is sometimes asked: 'what is war good for?' And the answer from millions of people is: 'Absolutely nothing!'"ANN WRIGHT
former colonel, U.S. Army; former diplomat; antiwar activist

*** Click here for a post by JWE covering Gar Smith’s talk at the No War 2017 conference. He previewed key ideas from his book The War and Environment Reader in a presentation titled “Stones to Drones: A Short History of War on Earth,” exploring the long connection between warfare and environmental damage. You can watch the video of his talk and read the full transcript here.

Click here to read about Gar Smith’s 2017 tour, “Exposing Militarism and Environmental Harm,” which launched in October. The tour included readings from The War and Environment Reader and events with groups like CODEPINK and Veterans for Peace in cities such as Berkeley, Larkspur, and Santa Cruz. He also joined a fascinating interview during the tour. Photos from the events are available in this Facebook album.

Click here to read a post about the final leg of Smith’s 2017 tour. The last event took place at the Mt. Diablo Peace and Justice Center, where Smith led a forum on the environmental toll of war. Videographer Sergio Lub recorded the event and its engaging Q&A session—watch the video here.

Click here for a post about the launch of the #WarHurtsEarth campaign in January 2018. Led by World Beyond War and Gar Smith, the campaign aimed to expose the environmental costs of militarism and call for lasting peace.

Click here to access a post about the Earth Day 2018 Facebook Live event with Jackie Cabasso and Gar Smith. They discussed the environmental consequences of war, drawing on Smith’s The War and Environment Reader and Cabasso’s decades of anti-nuclear organizing. The talk underscored the urgent need for change and highlighted the #WarHurtsEarth campaign’s goals.

The War and Environment
Reader is available in Paperback ($24.95) and ebook formats ($22.95)

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256 Pages, 6” x 9”
Published October, 2017
ISBN 978-1-68257-079-1

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