Over 140 people RSVP-ed to our event on the intersection of climate crisis and militarism - at a venue that could only hold 55 people. But a full house of passionate activists is a good problem to have. (And those who didn’t make it into the room could access the full recording of both panels here.)

On September 24, 2026, together with our partner organizations New Mexico No False Solutions, Fridays for Future USA, CODEPINK, Grassroots Global Justice Alliance, Climate Justice Squad, and Sunrise NYC, the National Priorities Project hosted a double panel event titled, War & Climate: What U.S. Imperialism Demands of Our Climate Justice Movements. The event provided a space for climate-oriented researchers and activists to reflect on and challenge U.S. militarism and the war economy at home and abroad, and to explore what our futures could look like if our government invested in people and the planet instead of endless war.

We know that the Pentagon is the largest institutional polluter in the world, that war destabilizes communities and wrecks our planet, and that the resources going towards war and weapons could instead be transformational if re-invested back into our communities and our basic needs. So, we set out to raise the elephant in the room: the U.S. military, its colossal budget, and damages done domestically and internationally. We can't ignore war and violence when climate justice demands a better world for us to live in.

It was also the Global Week of Action for Peace and Climate Justice!

The first panel, “The Costs of War In Our Communities,” convened youth leaders from around the world to explain what war, extraction, and U.S. imperialism has been doing to each of our homelands, including Mexico, Korea, Philippines, Peru, Pakistan, and New Mexico. Our panelists represented a swath of incredible organizations: Climate Justice Squad, Nodutdol, Youth Advocates for Climate Action Philippines & Siklab Philippines Indigenous Youth Network, Sapiens, Future Generations Tribunal, and New Mexico No False Solutions. A member of Black Alliance for Peace discussed the U.S. military presence in Cuba and the Middle East, and how we need to resist data centers.

The next panel featured crucial information on the trillion-dollar Pentagon budget from us at the National Priorities Project at IPS alongside CODEPINK’s War Is Not Green campaign. I explained that most of the United States’ discretionary budget goes towards militarism, starving our communities of basic needs, including healthcare and food assistance. Instead of leading the climate fight, in the last ten years, the U.S. has contributed $79 billion to fund other militaries with weapons, while only contributing $4 billion to an international climate finance fund. And I told attendees how to get involved with the People Over Pentagon campaign that we’re a part of. Grassroots Global Justice Alliance highlighted their People’s Care Agenda as an example of what our world could look like if we divest from war and enforcement and invest into communities, especially at the local level. 

The venue was beautiful, contributing to the sense of strong solidarity in the room. We gathered at the YA-YA Network in Midtown Manhattan. When you enter the sunlit youth activist space, there is art and flyers on the walls and on the tables, a warm kitchen, a cozy lounge, and a gorgeous patio garden.

We’re already planning the next event - with enough room for everyone in a growing movement. We’re actively working together, too, to stop the $1.5 trillion Pentagon budget, the very thing enabling military violence and helping fuel the climate crisis.

We know the world we want now and for future generations is one where we are safe, healthy, and cared for. Let’s work together to make it ours.