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In this edition of Scheer Intelligence, Robert Scheer sits down with journalist and filmmaker Abby Martin to unpack her blistering new documentary, Earth’s Greatest Enemy—a film that argues, with devastating clarity, that the U.S. military is the single largest institutional driver of climate destruction on the planet. Martin walks Scheer through the years‑long battle to make and distribute a documentary that Hollywood wouldn’t touch, exposes the Pentagon’s grip on media narratives, and traces how bipartisan militarism—under Democrats and Republicans alike—has locked the world into a self‑perpetuating cycle of war, extraction, and ecological collapse. What emerges is a sweeping indictment of empire at the precise moment when the planet can least afford it, and a call to recognize the shared human cost borne by soldiers, civilians, and the environment itself.
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Before we get to the highlights, here’s how you can find more information about the film — including how to bring it to a theater near you:
https://earthsgreatestenemy.com/
Polished Transcript
Opening: Scheer Introduces Abby Martin and the Film
Robert Scheer opens the conversation by praising Abby Martin’s work and reflecting on his own tendency to “babble on too much.” He expresses genuine admiration for her journalism, referencing Gaza Fights for Freedom and her early work with Project Censored. He jokes about their age difference and says talking to her reassures him that journalism is “alive and well” despite the state of the media. He then pivots to her new documentary, Earth’s Greatest Enemy, calling it “one of the most impressive documentaries I’ve ever encountered.”
Scheer admits guilt for missing a Los Angeles event celebrating the film and wonders aloud why he hasn’t heard more about it. He summarizes one of the film’s central claims: the U.S. is responsible for roughly 25% of global climate destruction, China about 12%, and the U.S. military is the world’s single largest polluter. He emphasizes that the film backs these claims with rigorous reporting, not slogans.
Why the Film Is Being Suppressed
Abby responds bluntly: “You’ve answered your own question.” Hollywood and mainstream environmental distributors refused to touch the film. Even those who praised its cinematic quality told her she needed to “talk about the good things the military does too” or remove Gaza content. She describes the film as “too much truth,” too comprehensive, and therefore unmarketable under capitalism’s niche-driven documentary model. The team has resorted to grassroots distribution.
Scheer on Documentary Gatekeeping and Pentagon Control
Scheer agrees, noting that even award-winning documentaries rarely reach broad audiences. He highlights what he considers one of the film’s most important revelations: the U.S. media’s dependence on Pentagon approval for access, footage, and cooperation. This dependency shapes Hollywood narratives and news coverage alike. He references Eisenhower’s warning about the military‑industrial complex and cites examples like Kathryn Bigelow’s Zero Dark Thirty, which relied heavily on CIA-fed narratives.
Veterans, Human Costs, and Mike Prysner’s Role
Scheer brings up Abby’s co-director and husband, Mike Prysner, whose Iraq War experience grounds the film’s opening scenes. Abby explains that the film intentionally centers veterans—not to attack soldiers but to humanize them as victims of the same system. She recounts the story of a veteran born at Camp Lejeune, where toxic dumping poisoned a million people. His trauma, panic attacks, and guilt over environmental destruction in Afghanistan illustrate the human toll of militarism.
The Military as a Planetary Threat
Abby stresses that even without war, simply maintaining the U.S. arsenal—cleaning engines, dumping toxins, burning fuel—destroys ecosystems. The military imposes a global fossil‑fuel infrastructure “at the barrel of a gun.” She describes how U.S. strategy documents openly celebrate Arctic melting because it opens new extraction opportunities: “They’re saying, ‘That’s good.’”
Scheer: Militarism Has Become America’s Only Economic Strategy
Scheer expands the discussion to global geopolitics. Trump, he argues, has coerced the world into higher military spending, turning weapons into America’s primary export. Even Europe, supposedly more humane in its capitalism, is now increasing defense budgets. He notes that China’s pollution is partly driven by producing goods for U.S. consumers, yet China is also rapidly militarizing under U.S. pressure. The film’s timeliness, he says, lies in showing that militarism is bipartisan—Pelosi and Democrats appear in the film defending the same policies as Republicans.
Abby: Neoliberalism Created Trump
Abby argues that the Biden-era status quo—what she calls “death”—laid the groundwork for Trump’s resurgence. Trump openly embraced being “the arms salesman‑in‑chief,” surrounding himself with defense CEOs and promising to make them rich. She warns that U.S. allies are capitulating to a “global fascist order,” abandoning even the pretense of liberal values. Tech companies like Google and Amazon are fully integrated into the surveillance and military apparatus.
Scheer: Fascism as the Logical Outcome of Failed Capitalism
Scheer reflects on fascism historically, drawing from his family’s German and Jewish background. He argues that fascism emerges when capitalism fails and nations turn to militarism to assert power. He says the U.S. has abandoned its own myth of productive capitalism—outsourcing manufacturing while doubling down on military dominance. Companies like Amazon, Google, and Palantir are now effectively military contractors. The “dirty secret,” he says, is that American elites no longer believe in capitalism—only in empire.
Abby: The Empire Has Lost the Plot
Abby cites Wesley Clark’s famous “seven countries in five years” anecdote to illustrate how U.S. foreign policy sees every problem as a nail for its hammer. She argues the U.S. has no manufacturing base, no infrastructure, and no planning—only propaganda and militarism. Meanwhile, China’s hybrid system, with some central planning, is outperforming the U.S. economically. She emphasizes that U.S. media malpractice keeps Americans ignorant—for example, 60% didn’t know whether more Israelis or Palestinians had died.
Scheer: Ordinary Americans Aren’t Benefiting
Scheer pushes back on the idea that “we” are the problem, noting that most Americans can’t afford the consumption attributed to them. Wealth has been redistributed upward, and ordinary people are not the ones driving militarism. He argues that global nationalism—sometimes sliding into fascism—is partly a reaction to U.S. dominance and the inability of other nations to meet their people’s needs under U.S. pressure.
Hope, Activism, and the Film’s Purpose
Scheer praises the film for ending on activism rather than despair. He contrasts Abby’s approach with Al Gore’s technocratic optimism, calling Gore’s framing “garbage” because elites won’t sacrifice profit to save the planet. He celebrates Abby and Mike as examples of real journalism surviving outside corporate media.
Abby: Journalism Is Hollowed Out—But People Are Waking Up
Abby shares an anecdote from boarding a RIMPAC warship: the only other journalists present were from Defense One and Air Force publications—essentially PR arms of the Pentagon. They “hated” her for asking real questions. She says Gaza has exposed the bankruptcy of mainstream journalism and underscores the need to uplift independent outlets. Yet she ends on optimism: she sees unprecedented consciousness, solidarity, and anti‑imperialist understanding emerging, especially among younger generations. She feels a responsibility to fight for the future for her children.
Closing: How to Watch the Film
Abby directs viewers to earthsgreatestenemy.com and encourages campus screenings and Earth Day events. Scheer thanks her and credits his son Joshua for producing the episode.
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