Toxic War

The war in Iran is causing a humanitarian and global energy crisis and is “emerging as a major environmental disaster” according to David Gelles of the New York Times. Two weeks ago Israeli bombs hit four fuel depots near Tehran, population 10 million. The result was toxic black clouds producing black rain composed of oil droplets combined with precipitation that coated everything. Immediate health effects included burning eyes, dizziness, coughing and migraines. Potential long term health effects, according to John Balmes, professor emeritus of environmental sciences at University of California, Berkeley, include several types of cancers.

Pollution knows no political boundaries. “Days after the strikes on the Tehran oil depots, the plume of smoke from the fires headed east, across Afghanistan, China and into Russia, according to the Conflict and Environment Observatory, a nonprofit organization. Beyond simply spreading the pollution across the globe, the wafting smoke opens the door to soot accumulation at high altitudes, where it could accelerate the melting of glaciers,” said Gelles.

So, what can we do? Elections have consequences. Vote. On March 28, you can join a local NO KINGS march and protest the war.

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Posted by Donna Gerhauser