Guns versus Climate
How Militarization Amplifies the Effect of Economic Growth on Carbon Emissions
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 4522503 |
|---|---|
| Authors | A K Jorgenson (0000-0002-5902-3704, University of British Columbia, corresponding author), Brett Clark (0000-0002-3929-1322, University of Utah), R P Thombs (0000-0002-8823-6143, Boston College), Jeffrey Kentor (0000-0001-6735-4012, Wayne State University), Jennifer E Givens (0000-0003-3103-9795, Utah State University), Xiaorui Huang (0000-0002-3823-0253, Drexel University), Hassan El Tinay (Boston College), Daniel Auerbach (0000-0002-0984-4504, University of Wyoming), M C Mahutga (0000-0003-4696-529X, University of California, Riverside) |
| Year | 2023 |
| Volume | 88 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 418-453 |
| Publication date | 2023-06-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | American Sociological Review (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0003-1224 • E-ISSN: 1939-8271 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1177/00031224231169790 |
| OpenAlex | W4372348656 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 29 |
| References cited | 203 |
Building on cornerstone traditions in historical sociology, as well as work in environmental sociology and political-economic sociology, we theorize and investigate with moderation analysis how and why national militaries shape the effect of economic growth on carbon pollution. Militaries exert a substantial influence on the production and consumption patterns of economies, and the environmental demands required to support their evolving infrastructure. As far-reaching and distinct characteristics of contemporary militarization, we suggest that both the size and capital intensiveness of the world's militaries enlarge the effect of economic growth on nations' carbon emissions. In particular, we posit that each increases the extent to which the other amplifies the effect of economic growth on carbon pollution. To test our arguments, we estimate longitudinal models of emissions for 106 nations from 1990 to 2016. Across various model specifications, robustness checks, a range of sensitivity analyses, and counterfactual analysis, the findings consistently support our propositions. Beyond advancing the environment and economic growth literature in sociology, this study makes significant contributions to sociological research on climate change and the climate crisis, and it underscores the importance of considering the military in scholarship across the discipline
Climate change · Counterfactual thinking · Development economics · Economic growth · Economics · Environmental sociology · Militarization · Moderation · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Scholarship · Social science · Sociology · Climate Change Policy and Economics · Ecology · Energy, Environment, and Transportation Policies · Energy, Environment, Economic Growth
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| Unique citing works | 29 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 9,67 |
| Citation span | 2023 - 2026 (4) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 29 |