LANL could be an innovator instead of an incubator of weapons

This time in history is unlike anything that has come before – we are at the tipping point where strong decisive actions have to be taken if our species is to survive.

We have already caused the extinction of many other species that are necessary to the balance of our ecosystem. In pursuit of productivity we have caused temperatures to rise, which is causing massive wildfires, flooding and droughts.

The people most affected by climate change are all the Indigenous peoples of the planet, the peoples least responsible for creating this problem. It is time to admit that our modern culture of consumerism and nationalism has not served us well. We would be wise to learn from the values of our First Nations, and to listen to their leaders and elders.

COVID-19 is now our teacher and it is speaking loud and clear about what we need to do. Slow down, shelter in place, discover what is essential and what is not. We are all in this together, so we need to forget our differences and work together as one global community to find solutions to all of our problems.

This is not a time to be building nuclear weapons and planning a new cold war. This is a time to support the

United Nations and efforts to cooperate globally to save our environment and ourselves. The worldwide move toward nationalism and authoritarianism is a knee-jerk reaction to fear. It is old thinking and what it leads to is on the wrong side of history. Been there, done that.

We need to not only think outside the box – we need to get rid of the idea of a box and instead adopt circles as our model. Everything that is produced should follow its trail of byproducts and waste and deal with those before it is allowed to continue. Zero waste needs to become a standard. We have the brainpower and the technology to accomplish this but we have been shortsighted and only concerned with profit and immediacy.

Now is the time to gather together and listen to Indigenous leaders. This doesn’t mean we have to give up technology and go back to the Stone Age, but it does mean that we need to be thoughtful about what we create; we need to support innovations that do not pollute, bioremediation that cleans up what we have polluted, cities that are built on renewable energy and incorporate green spaces, gardens on rooftops and all the other advances that have been shown to work but which have not received our political will.

Los Alamos National Laboratory could be an innovator instead of an incubator of weapons of mass destruction. New Mexico could be a leader in solar energy instead of a follower of fracking. Our most valuable natural resource is water and we are fast depleting and polluting it. We need to conserve and protect it and use it wisely.

The new plutonium pit expansion at LANL conservatively estimates needing 2-4 million gallons a year, not to mention a far greater amount for new housing for workers. Meanwhile, agriculture and family farms are deemed marginal and are targets for water transfers to urban and industrial use.

We need food and water to survive, so we are continuing to work against our best interests. People need jobs so anything that creates them is considered worthy, without looking at the cost in terms of health and the environment. None of the cost estimates for weapon production ever takes into account the toll on human health, the many cancers that are caused and the health effects spread to neighboring communities. Those adverse health effects are far greater than any trickle down of money from the lab.

This is just one of the many reasons we need a Site-Wide Environmental Impact Statement for its new pit production plans. And above and beyond, why we need a complete turnover in national politics and our leadership.