Militarism and its impact on societal and ecological welfare (interview with nick buxton of the secure and the dispossessed, part two)
Nick Buxton (@nickbuxton) is a climate justice activist and a communications specialist with nearly 20 years of experience working in the nonprofit international development and environmental sustainability sector. He is the co-editor of The Secure and the Dispossessed: How the Military and Corporations are Seeking to Shape a Climate-Changed World and a Communications Consultant at The Transnational Institute (@TNInstitute), which is an international research and advocacy institute committed to building a just, democratic and sustainable world.
In this podcast episode, (which is PART 2 of this interview—make sure to listen to PART 1, episode 175, first!), Nick sheds light on the environmental impacts of the U.S. military-industrial complex; how an era of permanent war between countries led by our political leaders may be taking away the resources and attention needed to address the real crises that people on the grounds are facing on a day-to-day basis; and more.
To start, get a glimpse below into the conversation between Nick and Green Dreamer Podcast's host, Kamea Chayne.
“We have to take that money out of politics and put strict limits on the influence these corporations have benefited from.”
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This is a conversation on Green Dreamer with Kamea Chayne, a podcast and multimedia journal illuminating our paths towards ecological balance, intersectional sustainability, and true abundance and wellness for all. This preview has been edited for clarity. Subscribe to Green Dreamer Podcast on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, or any podcast app to stay informed and updated on our latest episodes.
On corporate and militarized responses to climate change:
"Do you really want your future to be determined under a lens of security and decided by the richest and by the military? Are they going to come up with the solutions that we actually need at this time?
My belief is that they won't. They will have a response, but we shouldn't let our response be guided by those particular principles of security and wealth."
On taking money out of politics:
"The big thing we have to take on is money in politics.
We have to start putting strict caps on the amount of money that can go into elections from corporations and on the campaign contributions corporations can make.
[And we have to address the fact way that] candidates with large corporate donors—which happen to often be the largest corporations in the oil industry and the military—are beholden to [those corporations’ interests]. And makes what's necessary seem either impossible or not pragmatic.
We have to take that money out of politics and put strict limits on the influence these corporations have benefited from."
On transformative ways to address climate change:
"I'm hopeful. I think that there is a sea change of opinion.
The movements that are emerging with young people around the climate strikes, divestments from the fossil fuel industry, and the talk of the Green New Deal are bringing about a different way of responding to the [climate] crisis, which is much more transformative than it has been before.
We need to have those conversations about transformation."
Final words of wisdom:
“I love the idea of dreaming. I think it's a way of opening up possibility, imagining that we can live in a different world.
That will involve us taking on systems of injustice. It will involve political struggle, but it will also involve the power of creativity to think and imagine that we don't have to live in a world where the most vulnerable are sacrificed and that we can protect all and live in a better world.”
