Fwd: Environmental Impacts of War

[Guest guest]

Dear Friends,

A U.S. attack on Iraq would not only cause an estimated 500,000 Iraqi

casualties (according to the U.N.), it also would have devastating

environmental impacts. I encourage you to check out the new

Environmentalists Against War website to learn more about the issues and

what you can do.

http://www.EnvirosAgainstWar.org

Following is a press release about the site. Please help spread the word

by forwarding this message to others.

Thanks.

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ENVIRONMENTALISTS OPPOSE IRAQ WAR

Coalition Launches New Website

SAN FRANCISCO, CA - Environmentalists Against War, a coalition of

environmental organizations opposed to a U.S. attack on Iraq, has just

launched a new website to raise awareness of the ecological costs of a

second Gulf War. The site - http://www.EnvirosAgainstWar.org - contains

dozens of articles and reports, links to campaigns and organizations,

and action tools for the public.

" The first Gulf War was the biggest environmental disaster in recent

history, " said Gar , former editor of Earth Island Journal and a

spokesperson for Environmentalists Against War. " Unfortunately, with

advances in military technology, a new Gulf War has the potential to be

even worse. "

Such a thought does not rest well, considering these facts about the

1991 Gulf War:

- More than 60 million gallons of crude oil - 6 times what the Exxon

Valdez spilled off the shores of Alaska - were released into the

environment, tarnishing 1,500 miles of coast and scarring the desert

with 246 " lakes " of congealed oil.

- More than 700 oil wells burned out of control for nine months,

producing toxic clouds that blocked the sun and spread for thousands of

miles.

- U.S. forces fired nearly a million rounds of depleted uranium (DU)

bullets and shells, leaving 300 tons of DU scattered across Kuwait and

southern Iraq.

- Approximately 800,000 Iraqi civilians, mostly children, have died from

the lingering consequences of the war, including contamination of air,

soil and water, and destruction of vital infrastructure, such as water

and sewage treatment plants.

" As organizations and individuals working for the environment and

environmental justice, we have watched with increasing concern as the US

government moves closer to an all-out attack on Iraq, " said China

Brotsky, a co-author of the 1991 report " War in the Gulf: An

Environmental Perspective. " " During the first Gulf War there was

considerable discussion about its environmental impacts, but this time

around the dialogue has been virtually nonexistent. Our goal is to raise

awareness and encourage positive action. "

A coalition statement titled " 10 Reasons Environmentalists Oppose an

Attack on Iraq " has been endorsed by more than 80 organizations,

including Greenpeace, Earth Island Institute, The Ecologist and

Rainforest Action Network.

" All our signers realize that war will have devastating environmental

impacts, " said Gar . " We encourage people to visit our website to

learn more about the issues and what they can do. "

- END -

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Drekmeier

pdrekmeier@...

(650) 223-3306

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