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The Treadmill of Destruction

The Treadmill of Destruction is defined as the environmental impacts of militarism. Though different, some aspects of the treadmill of destruction mirror the treadmill of production. The treadmill of production examines the environmental impact of economic activity, particularly capitalist activity.

Through producing, storing, and employing military equipment, excess consumption of natural resources raise environmental concerns. The United States demonstrates the treadmill of destruction's relationship between capitalism and environmental harm through their military. The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP), located in New Mexico, USA, is a nuclear disposal facility for transuranic waste, known to be radioactive for thousands of years. Considering that nuclear production facilities must dispose of their waste, facilities such as WIPP are essential. The WIPP reportedly had an explosion in 2014 that was detrimental to the facility, posing a threat to workers in the facility; affected areas are 'off limits' and extremely hazardous (Werner and Woolf 2018, p. 22). Though the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) claimed include the need to improve aging nuclear facilities in their annual requested funding, in the interest of having a "secure, safe, and effective nuclear arsenal," the annual budget request and enacted budget suggests otherwise (Werner and Woolf 2018, p. 22). The NNSA 2018 budget for recapitalization for nuclear facilities' maintenance exceeded the requested budget, however, their annual requests continue to include nuclear infrastructure maintenance, raising questions about the NSSA's "priority on this effort in its budget proposals" (Werner and Woolf 2018, p. 25).

Whether militaries are actively engaged in war or not, the treadmill of destruction is present. While engaged in war, bombs and landmines, among others, produce toxic waste making lands inhabitable and raising public health concerns. Agent Orange during the Vietnam war has greatly affected generations of people. Over a span of ten years, reportedly 22.2 million gallons of Agent Orange was used to defoliate forests. The harsh effects of the substance have considerably impacted the lands, making them unfit for farming, revealing the treadmill of destruction’s appearance. Even while disengaged from armed conflict, militaries continue to consume large amounts of non-renewable energy for research and development, suggesting that the treadmill of destruction’s manifestation is constant. Testing the effectiveness of weapons such as bombs and gases create toxic wastelands. Recognizing the relationship between the sophistication of arms and the extent of ecological damage, the treadmill of destruction is far more apparent now than in the past. The industrial revolution has drastically shifted the magnitude and capabilities of warfare, which now frequently use toxic substances to operate modern warfare such as launching projectiles across the globe (e.g. nuclear missiles) (Bradford and Stoner 2017). Weapons of mass destruction require nuclear and chemical resources for production and operation, posing health threats to surrounding inhabitants.

Historical Context

The Treadmill of production provided us with an opportunity to reflect on the past and future studies of the environmental phenomena, our contribution is theoretical and centers on the impact of militarism on the environment (treadmill of destruction). From the dawn of civilization to the industrial era the treadmill of production has left the environmental impact of militarism have “a profound but indirect effect” (Gregory Hooks/ Chad L. Smith – 2003), military forces consumed many natural resources to fight and survive in the wars such as food or cloth made thanks to these. The wars and conflicts caused with mass industrial warfare (lots of chemical weapons) also damaged the environment leaving trails of destruction behind them and many damaged corps.

The treadmill of destruction appears in the middle of the 20th century, when militarism has “a direct and ongoing effect” (Gregory Hooks/ Chad L. Smith – 2003) on the environment. In the 20th century the 2nd world war imploded pushing countries to create more powerful and destructive weapons, that is the reason why weapons of mass destructions were created, they are designed to destroy the enemy’s environment, make it uninhabitable and are getting more and more dangerous over time. The decisions and use of the weapons of mass destruction are given and controlled by the state and its military elites which have the highest positions in the government. There has been many other wars after the second world war such as the Vietnamese war and there are still many countries at war today, the treadmill of destruction doesn’t stop getting worst over the years and the 21st century does not promise to be peaceful.

The Relevance of it Today

Today, both the treadmill of production and the treadmill of destruction are integrated theories of environmental sociology. The treadmill of destruction suggests the military has its own expansionary dynamics involving significant environmental and ecological costs (Clark and Jorgenson 2012, p. 558)In our modern world and its quest to mass consumption, the treadmill of destruction facilitates the consumption of resources by the military and its related sectors. This is especially true for bigger more advanced countries. Less powerful countries don’t benefit as much from the outcomes of this theory and as we go on, this position will only be worsened. More advanced countries have more favourable terms of trade thus allowing greater access to the natural resources of less developed ones, which expands the existing gap.

The effects of governments’ choices are only beginning to show today. Pollution and environmental impacts are overlooked by the military as they are exempted from environmental laws. The relationship between the military and environmental protection was made clear when a US military base commander declared: ‘We are in the business of protecting the nation, not the environment”. As an example of this, in 2017 the United States of America spent 590 billion dollars on its military while only spending 8 billion dollars on environmental protection for the same period.