Idea zrównoważonego rozwoju w obronności i przemyśle zbrojeniowym
The idea of sustainable development in defense and arms industry

Author(s): Bartosz Jan Łowicki
Subject(s): Economy, Business Economy / Management, Micro-Economics, Energy and Environmental Studies, Business Ethics
Published by: Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Ekonomicznego w Poznaniu
Keywords: defense;arms industry;sustainable development;doughnut economics;
Summary/Abstract: This chapter aims to discover whether it is possible to develop a reasonable compromise between the idea of sustainable development, the arms industry and defense. Seemingly opposite ideas and sectors have much in common. The aforementioned shared part may bekey to solving the problem together. In the case of defense, there are solutions that provide an increase in defense capabilities and an environmental benefit. The arms industry is, however,difficult to be made sustainable. This sector is unsustainable in nature and its guiding idea is imbalance. This imbalance is becoming apparent in the turnover of arms companies, whose huge profits are fuelled by the arming of countries. Trade of this magnitude takes place despite the existence of various conventions prohibiting war—the UN Charter, for example.In the case of defense, however, sustainability does not have to be an antonym. This chapter does not encourage the implementation of militarism nor of environmentalism. The desired approach is the one that is most beneficial to humans (defense) and the environment on occasion. Therefore, it seeks arguments supporting the thesis that it is possible to invest indefense in a thoughtful way with respect for the environment. Observing the scale of the problems of the modern world—wars and conflicts, it is necessary to take reasonable action while there is still time.

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