Discussion: Platform Amendment - Military Uses of Outer Space and of Weather

Presenters/Contacts:  Shane Que Hee 
 

Subject: Military Uses of Outer Space and of Weather in the Peace and Non-Violence Section.  The 10 key values involved are non-violence and personal and global responsibility

 

 

Science is progressing so fast that often tools are developed that both help or hinder person kind (See the Green Science platform plank).  

 

History has shown us that all inventions and techniques can be used for good or ill, for example, a knife can help cut food and kill a person; a plane can be used to transport people or kill people remotely as by drones; and genetic manipulation of DNA may produce better or worse crop yields.  With the current moves to engineer climate  (for example, fertilizing oceans with iron to generate carbon credits; deploying a sulfate aerosol shield to prevent the heating of the planet; liming the oceans to modulate acidity) and the connection of the oceans with the weather, some patents have already been taken out to engineer the weather.  Amongst these include ideas to erect a solar shield to direct rain precipitation (the questions of divergent effects on rich or poor nations and who decides where the rain should fall are not addressed)

 

The Green Party believes that prevention is better than cure, and that its key values of Non-violence and  Personal and Global responsibility mandate that outer space and weather must not be used for military purposes.  Decisions related to weather or climate manipulation must not be left to corporations or single countries.  The Green Party will lead the movement to ensure that.

 

 

1.  That Outer Space and the weather be not used for military purposes.  

 

2.  Decisions related to weather or climate manipulation must not be left to corporations or single countries.  

 

3.  That this be ratified by neighborhood associations, associations, organizations, city councils, county councils, state governments, parliaments, legislative bodies, countries, international organizations and bodies,  the United Nations, and in international treaties.

 

4.  That the International Monetary Fund and all multicountry organizations like the European Community, the North American Free Trade Association (NAFTA), the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), the G20, and all individual governments of the world will not fund such purposes.

 

5.  That the United Nations police the use of ways to control outer space and the weather as military weapons. 

 

Committee Decision:  The platform plank was suggested by input at the Platform Committee meeting at the San Francisco GPCA General Assembly on May 12/13 2012.  The 1st draft was posted on the GPCA Platform list serve on April  10 2013 with revisions on April 12, April 17, April 20,and April 23. The platform plank was also posted on Cal-forum and the GROW listserves on April 20 2013.

 

Resources:  This platform plank is new.