September 11 and environmental security, 15 years later

Yesterday's fifteenth anniversary of 9/11 reminded me of a short paper I wrote for Alternatives Journal a couple of weeks after the events at the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.  It was early days then, but I tried to imagine the environmental implications of the attack, and of the "war on terror" that was already beginning to emerge at that time.

Some of the consequences I discussed have remained significant, such as concerns about the long-term health implications for people exposed to the toxic dust that blanketed lower Manhattan.  Other concerns have, thankfully, faded: in particular, cities remain immensely attractive as places to live -- I worried that a sense of urban insecurity might lead to a new suburban flight, but that hasn't happened.

But especially, it is striking how influential the simple calculation of security = security against terrorists (or of foreigners more generally) remains for many Americans, inhibiting many from considering longer-term dangers, especially climate change.  As the American political horror show continues, history seems to be winding backwards.