We mourn the lives of all Iranian civilians and U.S. service members lost in the United States’s illegal preemptive strike on Iran, and that of all civilians killed and hurt in subsequent strikes in the region. We condemn the greed and lawlessness that brought us here. This new war with Iran, and the administrations behind it, are continuing to fuel broader conflict and instability in the region and around the world.
A majority of Americans oppose the war, which has already cost us $10 billion in its first 10 days and will continue to cost taxpayers roughly $1 billion per day. Beyond the burden on taxpayers, people worldwide could suffer serious economic shocks and devastating inflation as every sector — from utilities to essential goods and services — gets hit by the consequences of the rising, unstable price of fossil fuels.
It is true that the motivations of individual actors behind this war are opaque, conflicting, and confusing. What is nevertheless clear is that this crisis is only possible in the context of a world dominated by excessive fossil fuel profits and histories of brutal military occupations. Regardless of which members of the investment class come out ahead, nothing will improve for the majority of people who must work to make ends meet, and for whom much could get worse.
Americans will pay a high price, both at the pump and in lives and our safety. As always, it is poor and structurally marginalized communities who will bear a disproportionate amount of these consequences. When Donald Trump and his allies in Congress and industry say “drill baby, drill,” they know perfectly well that increasing extraction of fossil fuels and choking the development of cheaper and readily accessible renewable energy doesn’t make us safer. Rather, it makes us weaker, more easily manipulated, and vulnerable to foreign and domestic adversaries.
A global economy that did put all people and the planet first — and had spent the past decades building out renewable, sustainable, life-promoting infrastructure — wouldn’t be finding itself in the horrors of this timeline. There is no question that this planet’s inhabitants would be living healthier, longer, safer, and more joyful lives if we were not perpetually subordinated to and annihilated by a political class that prioritizes profit maximization and the extractive exploitation of people and our environment above all else. But the people who had the ability, and the time, to course correct chose otherwise, and the rest of us are now living with the consequences of their violent political economy, including global ecosystem collapse.
Globally, warfare is one of the largest contributors to climate change and environmental destruction. Greenhouse gas emissions related to warfare from fuel consumption for aviation, wildfires, and damage to energy infrastructure are continuing to increase due to recent conflicts, including Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine. Trump’s latest war, for reasons and objectives that have not been made clear to the American public or to Congress, is one of the most devastating blows to our planet we’ve yet seen. We cannot protect our planet if the wealthiest and most powerful countries cannot be prevented from instigating pointless and endless wars and remain unchecked by the people.
We join every American who objects to this war and the political class that started it. Our planet can be a beautiful place, and stewarding and protecting all of its inhabitants and its natural resources is our noblest calling. The most precious resource we have is human life and culture. To the civilians and children of Iran, and to anyone suffering in this grotesque and needless war, we offer our love and our full solidarity.
