Peace on Earth, Peace with Earth was coined by Elin Wägner in the 40s.
   For this manifestation, climate- and peace movements have come together. Now more than ever, the imminent threats of both climate crisis and a nuclear warfare are endangering the existence of all living organisms on planet Earth.

We human beings have based our lives on a number of assumptions which definitely have to be questioned. The first one is that we think we are the masters of this world and thereby give us the right to exploit Earth’s resources without any limit.
   The reality is that trees and many animals existed long before we did and they did not and do not need us for their existence. We, on the other hand are dependent on trees and many organisms in the ecosystem for our existence. As an example, bees have existed for at least 100 million years, long before the first Homo Sapiens which are thought to have developed around 315,000 years ago. Now many of species of bees are endangered and we are dependent on them for our agriculture.

We have destroyed most of the Earth’s natural habitats, including forests. We are driving many organisms to extinction. How can we justify this? We have a lot to learn from indigenous peoples all around the world, including the Samis, in how to live in harmony with nature.
   Another pillar of our present existence is the centralisation of a large percent of the world’s wealth in the hands of a small percent of the population. Their greed to gain more power and wealth is taking us to the brink of destruction.

USA and NATO have taken their military into countries like Afghanistan, Syria and Irak, causing the death of thousands of civilians. Russia also had its share in crushing the social structures of these countries. Now Russia has invaded Ukraine, destroying the homes of the Ukrainian people, bombing schools and hospitals killing and injuring many Ukrainians. They have also attacked Ukraine’s nuclear power plants raising concerns of radioactive leakage. It is mind-blowing and insane!
   In a joint statement, Nobel Peace Prize Laureates Dmitry Muratov and Beatrice Fihn wrote: The fate of humanity today rests on the rationality of a few leaders who control nearly 13,000 nuclear weapons, a terrifying force powerful enough to destroy the earth many times over. The use of just one nuclear weapon could kill and injure hundreds of thousands if not millions of civilians and poison the environment with radiation that lingers for generations.……

As long as nuclear weapons exist, the threat of their use persists. The world cannot continue to hold its breath and count on the good sense of the handful of world leaders with the power to destroy us all. We must eliminate these weapons of mass destruction. We urge all governments to join the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, TPNW without delay. We urge them to choose peace over war and reason over madness. We urge them to support democracy and freedom of speech all over the world. The time to act is now. We may not survive the next nuclear crisis.
   On February 28th, IPCC released their 6th Assessment Report. One of their main messages is that human-induced climate change is causing dangerous and widespread disruption in nature and affecting the lives of billions of people around the world, despite efforts to reduce the risks. People and ecosystems least able to cope are being hardest hit.

Increased heatwaves, droughts and floods are already exceeding plants’ and animals’ tolerance thresholds. They have exposed millions of people to acute food and water insecurity, especially in Africa, Asia, Central and South America, on Small Islands and in the Arctic. Other researchers have stated that for every half-degree of warming, societies will see between a 10 and 20 percent increase in the likelihood of armed conflict.
   Among the conflicts and wars that have been intensified due to climate catastrophes we can name: the Syrian conflict which was preceded with an extraordinary drought causing 75% of Syria's farms to fail and 85% of livestock to die. Throughout the war in Yemen, drought has worsened the conflict by drying up water sources, putting more than half of the population at risk of extreme water shortages. In South Sudan, the droughts of the year 2019 were followed by heavy rains in 2021, making the fragile peace agreements even more fragile.

Peace and climate justice are related with each other. Just as wars and militarisation on one side, and climate change and natural catastrophes are related with each other. EU has been pumping Putin’s military through buying oil and gas for millions of dollars. War is and has been taking us closer to a point where we might not be able to repair all the harm we have inflicted on Mother Nature.

We have to act to have a planet Earth that is habitable for its inhabitants so we can live in security. I will finish with the last sentence from Elin Wägner and Elisabeth Tamm’s book, "Peace with the Earth". Even though it was written in the 40’s, it is still relevant.
"Now the hope remains that the weapons will be laid down while the earth still has so much uninjured skin left that it can live and heal its wounds. And that the survivors should realize that they, driven by the same need, must jointly make peace with the earth.

”Nu återstår hoppet att vapnen skola läggas ner medan jorden ännu har så mycket osårad hud kvar att den kan leva och läka sina sår. Och att de överlevande skola inse att de, drivna av samma nöd, måste gemensamt sluta fred med jorden.”
Sima Nasizadeh XR Lund