5% of carbon emissions come from war preparations.

Protesters gathered at Meadowhall outside the Forged Solutions factory. They were angry that Forged Solutions makes parts for F-35 fighter jets that have been bombing schools, hospitals, houses and even refugees in tents in Gaza. 

More than 50,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces since October 7th and the vast majority have been women and children. 

F-35 jets don’t just do enormous harm to the people they are bombing, they do enormous harm to all of us by adding dramatically to greenhouse gases in the atmosphere and exerting a massive opportunity cost. The money that has been spent on them can’t now be spent on good things like education, renewable energy or benefits. This was well illustrated by the Government slashing the Overseas Aid budget to pay for its massive increase in spending on weapons. 

The F-35 fighter jet has a gigantic carbon footprint. For every 100 nautical miles flown, the F-35A  emits approximately 2.27  tonnes of CO2 equivalent. This is about the same as driving a petrol car from Sheffield to Sydney if there were a road that took you there! Emissions from war preparations are thought to make up about 5% of our global greenhouse gas total, and they must be rapidly reduced if we are to avoid climate catastrophe.

Jenny Patient spoke on behalf of Climate Justice at the demonstration.

She explained the trade in F-35s makes the UK Government complicit in the genocide. Forged Solutions is one of the many UK companies which has a license to export unlimited quantities of equipment for the manufacture and maintenance of F-35 jets. 

Jenny called on the government to stop the supply chain of military assistance to Israel. The UK government is using a loophole to obscure the UK’s responsibility. Although F-35 jets are not exported directly to Israel, they can be sent to the US and other countries as part of the global spares pool. According to the Government, Forged Solutions is a supplier of the F-35 supply chain. It’s impossible to prove that the parts being made by these workers are not being used in genocide in Gaza. Forged Solutions workers should have assurance that the components they make are not being used to infringe international law. 

Sheffield has always been a steel city. Jenny commended the work of metal workers across South Yorkshire, but she doesn’t believe that the metal industries need to be involved in the arms trade. The Labour Government is directing policy to prepare for war. Sheffield council leader Tom Hunt and South Yorkshire mayor Oliver Coppard boast about success in attracting major arms companies like BAE Systems and Forgemasters.

Sheffield’s history is based on steel and manufacturing, but these don’t employ the numbers they used to. The arms industry has relied more and more on technology, not workforce, for its profits. The bigger areas of employment in South Yorkshire now are health, education, digital and creative industries, providing 50,000 jobs. Compare that to 228 employees across all of Forged Solutions UK sites. So why is there so much focus from our leaders on bringing arms companies to South Yorkshire? The jobs are relatively skilled and well paid, and they use high-tech approaches,  improving productivity. Manufacturing for the global arms supply chain is very profitable. This kind of research is often greenwashed. For example, we’re told they’re developing lightweight materials which will save energy and resources. Whereas the main driver is higher profits for aircraft manufacturers. In truth, the arms trade and climate protection are fundamentally opposed. Public money, our taxes and our pension savings are being directed locally into arms manufacturers and this is being actively celebrated by our leaders as something they are proud of. But arms manufacturers can never be carbon neutral, and each job costs £200,000 to attract to our area. This money would be better spent insulating homes, investing in regenerative agriculture and in better buses. Those who work in arms industries should push for a fairer and greener future. Jobs in manufacturing can be transitioned to invest in our collective future instead of creating profits for American investment firms and enabling genocide abroad. Trade Unions should mobilise for investment in climate jobs, public services and international solidarity, to build a more just and peaceful society with unionised jobs. 

 Do we want an economy dependent on the global arms industry directed by the greed and the ego of Trump and his ilk? Or do we want real safety and security? Let’s take into account climate change. Let’s produce things society needs, not keep increasing inequality. Let’s set to work persuading people in our towns and cities, not draining our resources on behalf of the global arms industry. 

At Brize Norton, Palestine activists broke into the RAF base and damaged two planes. This was quickly condemned by all and sundry as vandalism, but they did this to point out that flights depart daily from the base to RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus. From Cyprus, British planes collect intelligence and transport weapons to commit genocide in Gaza. We must stop arming Israel. 

Videos of the speeches and singing at the demonstration can be found here.