Warning For The Planet

The report by Scientists for Global Responsibility (SGR) critiques the 2003 invasion of Iraq, asserting that the US administration's justifications—such as eliminating weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and promoting democracy—are insincere. SGR argues the true drivers are 'full spectrum dominance' and the desire to control strategic oil reserves to reduce reliance on Saudi Arabia. The document details severe humanitarian risks, including potential malnutrition for 1.26 million Iraqi children, and environmental damage, including CO2 emissions from the invasion estimated to equal one year of total UK emissions. It concludes by advocating for a shift from military spending toward solving global poverty, water scarcity, and climate change through renewable energy development.

• The US administration's justifications for the Iraq war are deemed insincere, specifically regarding the claim of liberating the Iraqi people given the history of US/UK support for Saddam Hussein and the humanitarian impact of 12 years of sanctions, which saw under-five child mortality rise from 56 to 131 per thousand between 1990 and 1998.
• The US military strategy is characterized as 'full spectrum dominance,' aiming for technological supremacy across air, sea, land, and space, and utilizing a pre-emptive strike policy that SGR asserts contradicts the United Nations Charter.
• A primary underlying motive for the invasion is the securing of oil reserves to ensure economic global dominance and reduce the leverage of Saudi Arabia over US and European policymakers.
• The war poses extreme humanitarian risks, with a leaked UN document predicting that 1.26 million children under five in Iraq could be at risk of death from malnutrition, and 10 million people could be food insecure or displaced.
• The conflict causes significant environmental degradation, including groundwater pollution and local air pollution. The total CO2 emissions from the invasion are estimated to be roughly equivalent to the total UK emissions for one year.
• The use of depleted uranium (DU) in armaments leads to long-term health crises, including increases in leukemia, carcinoma, and congenital deformities in fetuses.

APA

Webber, P., Spedding, V., Parkinson, S., & Novotny, E. (2003). Warning For The Planet. Scientists for Global Responsibility. https://www.sgr.org.uk/sites/default/files/2020-02/Iraq_planet_warning.pdf

Chicago

Webber, Philip, Vanessa Spedding, Stuart Parkinson, and Eva Novotny. Warning For The Planet. Scientists for Global Responsibility, 2003. https://www.sgr.org.uk/sites/default/files/2020-02/Iraq_planet_warning.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Webber |first1=Philip |last2=Spedding |first2=Vanessa |last3=Parkinson |first3=Stuart |last4=Novotny |first4=Eva |title=Warning For The Planet |publisher=Scientists for Global Responsibility |date=9 April 2003 |url=https://www.sgr.org.uk/sites/default/files/2020-02/Iraq_planet_warning.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{webber2003warning, author = {Webber, Philip and Spedding, Vanessa and Parkinson, Stuart and Novotny, Eva}, title = {{Warning For The Planet}}, institution = {Scientists for Global Responsibility}, year = {2003}, month = apr, url = {https://www.sgr.org.uk/sites/default/files/2020-02/Iraq_planet_warning.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }