Leftist protester disrupts 'climate week' event by ranting against US military

A Code Pink activist interrupted a Climate Week event hosted by The Nature Conservancy in New York City on Thursday, accusing the environmental group of ignoring the U.S. military's contribution to climate change. The protester, identified by Code Pink only by his first name, Aaron, serves as campaign organizer for the group's "War Is Not Green" initiative. He told attendees that The Nature Conservancy was avoiding an "elephant in the room," saying the issue "is destroying ecosystems. It is destroying fish. It is destroying the world.", according to Fox News.

Aaron contrasted the Pentagon's $1.5 trillion budget with The Nature Conservancy's own budget of more than $2 billion, questioning why an organization dedicated to protecting land and water would not confront the military's environmental impact. Code Pink said its presence at NYC Climate Week was meant to argue that any genuine discussion of climate change has to include the military-industrial complex, which it contends is a major driver of global warming.

The group is calling on The Nature Conservancy and other environmental organizations to publicly recognize the U.S. military as a leading institutional polluter, to reject partnerships or funding connected to the military-industrial complex, and to use their influence to push for cuts to the Pentagon's budget along with an end to wars it says damage ecosystems. Code Pink has previously drawn attention for confronting elected officials over similar concerns about military spending and its environmental consequences.

Summarized by PolitiKool from Fox News’s reporting. Read the full story at Fox News →