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Lean, green killing machine
Posted by jamie on 12 August 2008.
In a story not as weird as the environmentally-friendly bullets one but still somewhat unnerving, it appears the US military is gunning for an increase in the amount of energy it derives from renewable sources. Military chiefs want to see 25 per cent come from the likes of wind, wave and solar by 2025 and while it accounts for 1.5 per cent of US energy consumption, the biggest impact could be the civil application for military developments in technology and efficiency so the rest of the country could be following in its khaki-coloured wake.
My feelings about this are understandably mixed. On the one hand, any shift away from fossil fuels towards greener alternatives is a good thing; on the other... well, it's the military.
There's no point ranting about the development of new technologies to support an institution who's ultimate aim is (let's not beat about the bush here) killing people because there are countless everyday items with their origins in military development, from the internet to Superglue. But when the military PR machine is proud to claim that human rights vortex Guantanamo Bay has it's own wind turbines, you have to admire the stomach-churning irony.