On Thursday, a Code Pink representative disrupted a Climate Week event hosted by The Nature Conservancy in New York City. The activist, identified only as Aaron, is the campaign organizer for Code Pink’s “War Is Not Green” initiative.
Protest focuses on the military’s environmental impact
Aaron accused the U.S. military of being a “massive carbon footprint” and a major source of environmental degradation, citing the Pentagon’s $1.5 trillion budget and the ecological damage caused by U.S. bases and overseas operations. He argued that The Nature Conservancy, which operates with a budget of over $2 billion, cannot claim to protect land and water while ignoring what he called the largest institutional polluter on Earth.
“There is an elephant in the room that The Nature Conservancy does not want to address,” Aaron said. “It is destroying ecosystems, it is destroying fish, it is destroying the world.”
Code Pink’s demands
Code Pink said its presence at Climate Week was meant to ensure that any serious climate conversation includes the military‑industrial complex. The group issued three specific demands:
- Publicly acknowledge the U.S. military as a leading institutional polluter.
- Refuse partnerships or funding tied to the military‑industrial complex.
- Use their platforms to demand cuts to the Pentagon budget and an end to wars that devastate ecosystems.
“You cannot claim to protect the land and waters while ignoring the largest institutional polluter on Earth,” Aaron added after the disruption. “The Nature Conservancy has a $2 billion budget and a global platform. It has a responsibility to name the war machine as a driver of climate destruction. Silence is complicity.”
Response from The Nature Conservancy
Fox News Digital has reached out to The Nature Conservancy for comment. The organization has not yet responded to requests for a statement.
The incident highlights ongoing tensions between environmental groups that focus on fossil‑fuel emissions and those that also call attention to the climate impact of military activities. While the protest did not halt the event, it drew media attention to the broader debate over how the United States addresses its carbon footprint across all sectors.
Original reporting: Fox News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
