Code Pink Climate Week protest unfolded Thursday in New York City, where the activist group interrupted an event hosted by The Nature Conservancy to accuse the U.S. military of fueling the climate crisis.
The demonstration, which the group publicized afterward, argued that any meaningful climate agenda must include scrutiny of the military’s carbon output and environmental damage from bases, wars, and occupations.
Code Pink identified its campaign organizer, Aaron, as the protester who addressed the room, saying there was an “elephant in the room” that the organization was not acknowledging. He asserted that military activity is harming ecosystems, fisheries, and the planet, and urged conservation leaders to name the problem publicly.
The group cited the Pentagon’s $1.5 trillion budget and questioned why The Nature Conservancy, with a budget of more than $2 billion and a mission to protect land and water, has not taken on the issue. According to Code Pink, the organization and other environmental nonprofits should recognize the military as a leading institutional polluter, avoid partnerships or funding tied to the defense industry, and use their platforms to call for Pentagon spending cuts and an end to wars that damage ecosystems.
Following the interruption, Aaron reiterated that conservation groups cannot “claim to protect the land and waters” while overlooking the military’s environmental footprint, and argued that The Nature Conservancy’s scale and influence give it a responsibility to address what he called the “war machine” as a driver of climate destruction.
Representatives for The Nature Conservancy were contacted for comment.
Code Pink Climate Week demands
- Publicly acknowledge the U.S. military as a major institutional polluter.
- Refuse partnerships or funding connected to the military-industrial complex.
- Advocate for reductions to the Pentagon budget and an end to wars that harm ecosystems, similar to calls made when the Senate GOP blocks Iran war measure in pre-election vote.
