Effects of War & The Environment

• War is the second largest source for pollution on the planet.
• All of the money the U.S. Government spent on the war in 2008 could have fed every starving person in the WORLD, until 2015.

The direct impact of conflict on health during, before and after war:

Increased Mortality:

• Physical trauma (eg bombs, landmines)
• Infectious diseases (eg diarrhoeal diseases, respiratory infection)
• Deaths avoidable through health care (eg emergency intervention, preventive measures, medication)

Increased Morbidity:

• Injuries due to physical trauma (eg weapons, burns, poisoning) morbidity
• Injuries due to increased societal violence, including sexual violence
• Infectious diseases: water-related (eg cholera, typhoid), vector-borne (eg malaria), and other communicable diseases (eg TB, AIDS)
• Reproductive health: more stillbirths and premature births, more babies with low birth weight and more delivery complications
• Nutrition: acute and chronic malnutrition and deficiency disorders
• Mental health: impact of psychosocial trauma on mental health (eg anxiety, depression, suicide)

Increased Disability:

• Physical
• Psychological
• Social

Water and sanitation 2003 in Iraq: Sanitation facilities, most already non-operational, were looted throughout Iraq during and after the war in 2003. Half the sewage treatment plants are now working but nearly 500,000 tons of raw and partially treated sewage are discharged daily into the rivers. Less than half the population in rural areas has direct access to piped potable water.

ENVIRONMENT:
CHOOSE CLEAN ENERGY. Whenever possible, select a power plan that uses at least 50% clean energy. To see if it is available in your state, visit the Department of Energy.

DRIVE 5 MILES lower than the speed limit. It's amazing how much you can save driving a little bit slower! You can save up to 4000 lbs of CO2 per year! You get much better miles per gallon ratio AND you will save a lot of money!

RECYCLE. Recycling saves a lot of energy needed to make new products.

ADJUST YOUR THERMOSTAT. Conserve energy and turn off that air conditioning! Open your windows. You’ll save money.

THE THREAT of Global Warming is not just that it gets a little bit warmer. It will keep getting worse and will result in more serious and harsher Floods, Hurricanes, Earth Quakes, Monsoons, Tornados, More catastrophic weather patterns.

REPLACE a worn-out refrigerator with an *Energy Star* model. The US would need 30 less power plants if all Americans used the most efficient refrigerators.

DON’T SUPPORT THE MEAT INDUSTRY. Don’t support Factory Farming. Factory farming is the NUMBER ONE cause for Global Warming.

TURN YOUR COMPUTER OFF when you don't use it for more than 1 hour. Put it into a power save mode. You can save up to 1400 lbs of CO2 per Year

WASH CLOTHES in cold or warm water. Skip the hot water on 2 loads per week. You'll save energy and should have less wrinkled clothes. You can save up to 600 lbs of CO2 per year.

USE COMPACT FLUORESCENT LIGHT BULBS. You will save big when you replace your incandescent bulbs with fluorescent bulbs! They last up to 10 times as long and use 1/4 of the energy. You can save up to 1300 lbs of CO2 per year!

• You can save on the road too: Drive a hybrid or fuel efficient car. Save the environment and a lot of money by driving a car that gets at least 33 MPG. You can save up to 6500 lbs of CO2 per year.
• Drive 15 miles less each week. Shrink your gas costs and your waistline by walking, biking and taking public transportation.Or just organize your trips better. You can save up to 1600 lbs of CO2 per year!
• Avoid idling. Give your engine and the climate a break by turning off your car when you aren't moving... except in traffic of course. Try to cut out 10 minutes of daily idling. You can save up to 750 lbs of CO2 per year.
• Keep your tires filled. You'll save up to 5% on your fuel tab. You can save up to 300 lbs of CO2 per Year!

Other Resources:
http://www.nvf.org/
http://www.veteransfamiliesunited.org/

Environment:
http://www.campaignearth.org/index.asp
http://www.stopglobalwarming.org/
http://www.climatechallenge.org/

HELP THE EARTH AND…Volunteer. Help your neighbor. Don’t kill insects. Help the Elder. Bring food to a local homeless shelter. If you see garbage, throw it out instead of leaving it. Rescue an animal from a pound. Eat healthy, locally grown grains and vegetables. Don’t eat animals. Volunteer to help out abused children. Volunteer to bring food to Elderly. Donate used books to librarys or childrens stores.