Earth’s Greatest Enemy
What’s it rated? Not rated
When? 2026
Where’s it showing? Friday, Feb. 20, at Cal Poly PACSLO
(6:30 p.m.; $10 student, $20 general at pacslo.org), and
Saturday, Feb. 21, at Cuesta College CPAC (12:30 p.m.; $15 at eventbrite.com)
Wife-and-husband documentarians Abby Martin and Mike Prysner (Chevron vs. The Amazon) spent five years on this new film that chronicles the extent that the U.S. military is damaging Earth’s environment. The couple visited defense contractor conferences, international climate gatherings, military training exercises, and U.S. military bases.
“Exempt from international climate agreements and rarely scrutinized in mainstream reporting, the Pentagon is revealed here as the world’s single largest institutional polluter—spewing carbon, contaminating water, and scarring landscapes across the globe,” organizers explained. “Combining investigative journalism, striking visuals, and stories from impacted communities, the film challenges audiences to rethink the hidden costs of a global military empire and its planetary consequences. Provocative, urgent, and eye-opening, this is a documentary that will change how you see both the military and environmentalism.”
In the film, for context, Abby revealed, “It would take the average American driver over 40 years to burn as much fuel as a single flight of a Boeing Pegasus. The U.S. flies more than 600 of these tankers.”
There’s a devastating unaccounted-for cost of our military machine. A Q-and-A with Mike Prysner follows the screenings. (the event runs three hours and 30 min.)
—Glen Starkey
This article appears in February 19 – February 26, 2026.