Economic Update with Richard D. Wolff

Episode Summary: The U.S. Military's Role in Ecological Crisis

Date: December 9, 2025
Host: Richard D. Wolff
Guest: Abby Martin

Episode Overview

In this episode, Richard D. Wolff explores the intersection of U.S. militarism and the ecological crisis, with a special interview featuring filmmaker and journalist Abby Martin. The discussion unpacks how the American military, often overlooked in environmental debates, serves as a central driver of global pollution and fossil fuel consumption. The episode also touches on labor struggles within the Teamsters union, attacks on nursing education, and structural economic issues, tying these to broader patterns of systemic exploitation and crisis under capitalism.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Labor Struggles within the Teamsters Union (03:00–09:00)

• Wolff introduces the internal conflict in the Teamsters union, where President Sean O’Brien faces opposition due to his evolving relationship with Donald Trump.

• Richard Hooker Jr., leader of the "Fearless 2026" slate, criticizes O’Brien for aligning with Trump, who is seen as unsupportive of labor interests.

  “You cannot align yourself with someone like Trump and be committed to working people and the labor movement.”
  — Richard Hooker Jr., quoted by Wolff (06:24)

• Wolff highlights this as emblematic of a larger struggle within the labor movement regarding political allegiances and the future of organized labor.

2. Attacks on Nursing and Public Welfare (09:17–13:21)

• Wolff details a move by Trump’s administration to strip nursing of professional degree status, halving government loan eligibility. He links this to a pattern of undermining social supports to avoid taxing the wealthy.

  “You know what this is? This is the self destruction of American capitalism. Brick by brick, little program by little program…”
  — Richard D. Wolff (12:26)

• The policy is criticized as self-defeating, worsening staffing shortages and healthcare outcomes for minimal fiscal impact.

3. Tariff Policy and the Myth of 'Affordability' (13:34–16:49)

• Wolff critiques Trump's tariff maneuvers, seeing them as politically motivated rather than structurally effective, and explains why politicians have little real control over affordability.

  “Affordability is how much money do you earn and what are the prices you have to pay? Corporations, executives, employers decide how much to pay you. ... If you want to deal with it, you, you got to deal with the employer and the capitalist class that they are members of.”
  — Richard D. Wolff (15:37)

Interview: Abby Martin on "Earth’s Greatest Enemy" (20:10–34:15)

Motivation for the Film (20:54–22:34)

• Martin explains the impetus behind her new film, Earth’s Greatest Enemy, which exposes the U.S. military as both the largest institutional polluter and enforcer of global fossil fuel dependence.

  “We've seen these kind of academic studies going for about a decade now saying the US military is the largest institutional polluter in the world, bigger than 140 countries. But I never really understood what that meant. And so we wanted to unpack that.”
  — Abby Martin (21:16)

• The film aims to act as a broad, accessible entry point into understanding the existential threat posed by militarism to environmental sustainability.

Military’s Centrality to the Ecological Crisis (22:34–25:10)

• Martin outlines the historical and ongoing function of the U.S. military as an "extraction and protection force" for capitalist resource exploitation.

• She emphasizes the feedback loop: more military equals more oil consumption, which in turn fuels further military expansion.

  “It's a self fulfilling prophecy because in order to get the bigger military, you need more oil. In order to maintain that military, you need to continue to extract oil.”
  — Abby Martin (23:38)

• US military pollution and its role in enforcing global capitalism are largely omitted from mainstream environmental discourse.

Suppression of Ecological Truths & Propaganda (25:10–28:04)

• Martin discusses the deliberate marginalization of the military’s environmental impact, attributing it to a “propaganda matrix” and bipartisan consensus that shields the military from critique.

  “They don't want us to point to the real perpetrators of who has put us on this death path and who is destroying the planet. They have names. We know who they are.”
  — Abby Martin (27:24)

• She criticizes the narrative that individual actions, like using paper straws, are sufficient, noting the systemic responsibility of the military-industrial complex.

Geopolitical Misdirection & COP Conventions (28:04–30:52)

• Both speakers express frustration at the way the U.S. military’s role is obfuscated in international and domestic discussions, citing the exclusion of military emissions in United Nations climate agreements.

  “They didn't even mention fossil fuels as a term in the final draft text. ... The Pentagon exempted military emissions in 1997 and they've been exempted ever since.”
  — Abby Martin (29:15)

• Martin notes the bipartisan glorification of the military, even among prominent Democrats, as a primary reason the issue is sidelined.

Fossil Fuel Lobby, Capitalism, and Optimism (31:08–33:42)

• Wolff and Martin agree that powerful lobbying, institutional manipulation, and media complicity have successfully squelched attention on the military’s ecological impact.

• Yet, Martin senses growing popular demand for truthful information and international solidarity—fueling her “revolutionary optimism.”

  “I know that that sounds crazy, but I've never seen a moment like this of an international solidarity, Americans in sustained action, caring about their brothers and sisters around the world and completely disbelieving and disqualifying the ruling class from both parties.”
  — Abby Martin (33:08)

• Both stress the need to fight for a positive, life-affirming vision rather than accepting defeatism.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Richard Hooker Jr. on Trump & Labor:
  “You cannot align yourself with someone like Trump and be committed to working people and the labor movement.” (06:24)

• Abby Martin on the Military’s Fossil Fuel Role:
  “Guess what? They have an army. And the army is the U.S. military.” (25:08)

• Martin on Propaganda:
  “It's just again, the propaganda matrix is so strong. And even though we have this oversaturation of media, we've never been more siloed. … But then you look at the bipartisan consensus of the foreign policy establishment, the media being an arm of the ruling class.” (26:18)

• Wolff on Affordability & Power:
  “Corporations, executives, employers decide how much to pay you. … If you want to deal with it, you, you got to deal with the employer and the capitalist class that they are members of.” (15:37)

• Abby Martin on Democratic Politicians:
  “You cannot green a global military empire. So this has been an intentional obfuscation away from the real perpetrators.” (27:05)

• Abby Martin on Revolutionary Optimism:
  “I do have revolutionary optimism. I truly do. ... People are starving, starving for the truth, starving for facts…” (32:22)

Important Timestamps

• 03:00–09:00 — Teamsters union internal conflict and implications for the labor movement
• 09:17–13:21 — Trump administration’s cuts to nursing education and broader public welfare
• 13:34–16:49 — Tariff policies, government revenue, and the myth of political control over affordability
• 20:10–22:34 — Abby Martin introduces "Earth’s Greatest Enemy" and its aims
• 22:34–25:10 — How the U.S. military drives climate crisis, historically and today
• 25:10–28:04 — Media, propaganda, and the marginalization of military’s environmental impact
• 29:00–30:52 — COP conventions and deliberate omissions of military pollution
• 31:08–33:42 — Capitalist entrenchment, resistance, and reasons for hope

Conclusion

This episode of Economic Update powerfully connects the dots between U.S. militarism, political economy, and the global ecological crisis. Wolff and Martin elucidate how systemic forces—not individual choices—drive environmental destruction, and argue forcefully for organizing, solidarity, and optimism in the face of entrenched power. The episode is a call to look past propaganda, confront power, and fight for a livable future.

For more information and to get involved:
Visit earthsgreatestenemy.com