WHEELING - A Toronto native is among a group of war veterans who believe climate change can lead to unnecessary wars.
Glenn Kunkel, 29, of Toronto, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, visited the Elm Grove VFW Monday to talk about energy independence. Joining him were fellow veterans and Operation Free members Matt Victoriano, 29; Jon Gensler, 32; Ed May, 56; and Brendan Flynn, 32.
The veterans are urging people to write their federal lawmakers and ask them to support the Senate's version of the "cap and trade bill," SB 1733. The bill, they said, will provide incentives for the creation of fossil fuel alternatives to produce cleaner energy alternatives, such as wind and solar. Critics of the bill say it will drive up energy prices for consumers and businesses.
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Photo by Shelley Hanson
Glenn Kunkel, left, a Toronto native and veteran, talks with Wheeling resident and veteran William Dumas of the Marine Corps League 771 Detachment after an Operation Free event Monday at the Elm Grove VFW.
By developing alternative energy sources, the nation can begin to become less dependent on foreign oil, in addition to improving the environment, they said.
Operation Free describes itself as a "coalition of veterans and national security organizations highlighting the threat posed to America by climate change."
Kunkel served in the Marine Corps for 10 years. He noted his mother, Kathryn, who was in the audience, signed his enlistment papers in 1997 to allow him to join when he was 17 years old.
"We are making this CO2 footprint. We are exacerbating this problem," Kunkel said of climate change. "It will be American servicemen and women who will be put in harm's way to defend against these threats. ... The money we are spending on these carbon-based fuels and these non-renewable resources is directly funding the bullets coming out of the enemies' weapons."
The veterans expect the bill to be put to a vote in the spring.
"Right now, our way of living is really dependent on countries and people who want us and our way of living dead. Our economy depends on oil and a majority of that oil comes from overseas," Victoriano said.
He noted most branches of the military already have started using alternative methods of energy or are planning to. For example, he said, the Marine Corps has purchased a hydrogen fuel cell power plant at its Twentynine Palms base in California.
"I'm a Marine and I listen to the military when they tell me there's a threat. The military right now is saying our energy policies are threatening us and that energy reform is needed right now. It's up to us make a difference and talk to our (lawmakers) to make it happen," Victoriano said.
Gensler, a Huntington, W.Va., native, said climate change is a threat because it can cause droughts and then turmoil in vulnerable regions that U.S. troops could be sent into in the future.
"Our military is vastly overstretched. I've sat and watched many of my friends be laid into the ground," Gensler said. "The time to act is now. We know and we recognize the threat, the potential climate change has on our national security. We need the support of our senators."