Will reduced outlays improve environment?

Oscar Arias Sanchez, former president of Costa Rica and 1987 Nobel Peace Laureate, believes that the true security of a state depends less on its military than on the quality of life of its people. He feels that the triple challenges of peace, development, and the environment demand immediate action.

Arias travels the globe spreading a message of peace and applying the lessons garnered from the Central American peace process to topics of current global debate. One of his key recommendations for improving global environmental health is international cooperation to reduce military spending.

Moreover, he is a staunch advocate of environmental protection. He calls modern warfare "an environmental catastrophe" and thinks the effects of the global arms trade on the environment are direct and disastrous. For example, military forces are the largest polluters on Earth, responsible in peacetime for more carbon dioxide emissions than any other industry. In addition, conventional arms and light weaponry impose a tremendous burden on the security and well-being of humanity, especially in the developing world, where military spending saps precious resources from development.

Armed conflict inflicts more severe damage. Vietnam lost more than 80% of its original tropical forest when 50,000,000 liters of Agent Orange were dumped by the U.S. military. One-third of Vietnam now is considered a wasteland. In the first Persian Gulf War, oil spills and fires resulted in environmental disasters.

During his term as president of Costa Rica, Arias relied on the research, advice, and political support of scientists as his administration developed policies on eco-agriculture, debt-for-nature swaps, tourism, and national park systems.

He maintains that governments have an obligation to respect scientific opinions and to base policy on sound research. According to Arias, governments actively need to seek the collaboration of scientists in fields such as biology, health, education, earth science, energy, and computer science to address complex problems.

This challenge depends on marshalling the will of political leaders to act on scientific advice. Heads of state must be willing to propose and implement policies to secure the future of the environment.

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