Sustainability and National Security

to mitigate some of the risks. Energy conservation is
a military planning objective for both domestic instal-
lations and in war zones. This could spur further ci-
vilian innovations, as defense spending can both spur
new development and make new technologies afford-
able for rest of society. In the wake of multiple envi-
ronmental catastrophes, defense analysts are studying
the relationship between ecological destruction and
the mass movement of peoples and/or societal un-
rest arising from environmental events. This research
started in the 1990s, and has a practical relevance that
continues to be exercised. Further, the commitment
to continued progress towards arms reduction, and a
move away from the missile defense installations in
Eastern Europe, cooled down the arms race, reduced
the environmental cost of production, storage and
disposal and allowed resources to be redirected else-
where.
In the United States, sustainable practices have
clear support from some economic and political elites,
including visible and well-funded environmental or-
ganizations. But more powerful interests, particularly
the oil industry, continue to fight any fundamental
shift toward sustainability as a de facto energy strate-
gy. The status of the climate change debate and ongo-
ing attacks on environmental regulations amply dem-
onstrate that environmental concerns do not currently
play a decisive role in national policy. The Supreme
Court’s decision in Citizens United v Federal Election
Commission guarantees massive business financing
will affect the electability, and thus the policy priori-
ties, of those seeking office into the future.