Militarism, Agent Orange Disposal, and Environmental Injustice

• In Event: 2251 - Section on Environmental Sociology Roundtables (1 hour)
  In Refereed Roundtable 60min: 11. Environmental Injustice

Abstract

Within environmental sociology, militarism has been identified as a significant driver of environmental change. Treadmill of destruction scholars note that this institution has its own growth dynamics, which are associated with geopolitical interests, arms races, and infrastructural demands, resulting in an array of environmental impacts during times of both war and peace. Militarism generates distinct patterns of environmental degradation in which certain populations are disproportionately affected, experiencing specific forms of environmental injustice. My research extends and further develops scholarship focused on the socioecological dimensions of militarism. Via a historical case study focused on the disposal of Agent Orange during and after the American War in Vietnam, I assess the global dynamics of militarism, the role of economic and military power in siting storage of dangerous chemicals in Vietnam and elsewhere, the specific forms of ecological degradation that arose and persist, and the pattern of environmental injustice at multiple scales—namely geographical and temporal.

Author

• Daniel Noah Auerbach, University of Utah