Militarization and Energy Consumption A Test of Treadmill of Destruction Theory in Comparative Perspective

This article examines the impact of nations' military establishments on energy consumption, utilizing the "treadmill of destruction" theory within a comparative international perspective. Results of cross-national fixed effects panel models indicate that high-tech militarization in the form of military expenditures per solider contributes to the overall scale of nations' energy consumption levels. Likewise, total energy consumption is positively associated with military personnel in the context of the number of soldiers relative to the size of domestic populations. Overall, the findings support the proposed theorization and highlight the need for future research to consider the ecological consequences of nations' military establishments, regardless of whether they are engaged in conflicts or not.