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161Article 18Reproduced with permission from the Parthenon Publishing Group LtdInt. J. Sustain. Dev. World Ecol. 10 (2003) 185–193War and SustainabilityJohn Cairns, Jr.Department of Biology, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia, USAKEY WORDS: Sustainability · Resource wars · Resources · Natural capital · Posterity · Sustainableuse of the planetSUMMARYThe purpose of war is to destroy, and, even with precision bombs and missiles, some collateraldamage still occurs. Inevitably, natural capital and other types of capital are destroyed or impaired.In Vietnam, the foliage of forests was targeted. In the Gulf War, Iraq released crude oil into the RedSea, which damaged marine life, and set Kuwaiti oil fields on fire, which produced both atmosphericand terrestrial damage. War co-opts natural resources (e.g. natural capital), destroys societalinfrastructure, and interferes with a variety of natural cycles and ecosystem services. War isincompatible with sustainable use of the planet since modern technology, including nuclear capabilities,makes war an unsustainable practice. Instead of protecting resources as they becomeincreasingly scarce, these wars (usually poorly masked as terrorist, religious, or cultural conflicts)use natural capital, such as oil, in an attempt to obtain more than would have been possible bypeaceful means. The assumption that more will be obtained is weak since sabotage is often difficultto stop. Universal peace and sustainable use of the planet are both utopian visions, but failureto achieve them deprives posterity of a quality life, and even of life itself.We must make clear to the Germans that the wrong for which their leaders are on trial is not that theylost the war, but that they started it. And we must not allow ourselves to be drawn into a trial of thecauses of the war, for our position is that no grievances or policies will justify resort to aggressive war. Itis utterly renounced and condemned as an instrument of policy.U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel L. Jackson, America’sSenior Representative at the 1945 Nuremberg War CrimesTrials and the Tribunal’s Chief ProsecutorTHE TIPPING POINTA tipping point occurs when the forces that create stability are overcome by the forces that createinstability, and the ship, vehicle, or system tips into disequilibrium. Indications (e.g. continuedCorrespondence: J. Cairns, Jr., Department of Biology, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University,Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA