Who am I? edit

I am a current Economics student in the University of Sydney, and this semester I've enrolled in a course called "Writing in the Digital World". My work on Wikipedia will be tailored to said course, and i'll be creating an article as part of the course project.


The Treadmill of Destruction edit

The Treadmill of Destruction
AuthorErikpridgen
LanguageEnglish
GenreEnvironmental Economics

Description edit

The Treadmill of Destruction as observed through the geopolitical paradigm, suggest the adverse environmental consequences inherent in the workings of a State, and is typically used with reference to militarism or measures for national security.[1] The treadmill is closely correlated to its sister treadmill the “Treadmill of Production”, in that both treadmills stress the decline of our environment, however the Treadmill of Destruction in particular denotes Governments or States to be the responsible factor. Both treadmills fall under larger historical scopes such as Environmental Sociology and are related more distantly to Eco-Marxism.

Origins edit

Militarism edit

Other Applications edit

Agreements edit


Native Americans edit

Sources I want to include in my article edit

HOOKS, G., & SMITH, C. (2005). TREADMILLS OF PRODUCTION AND DESTRUCTION: Threats to the Environment Posed by Militarism. Organization & Environment[2]

The Source gives an in depth view of the limitations of the Treadmill of Production, and consequently why the Treadmill of Destruction must come into existence. In this sense the source is a very good ‘origins’ article, able to clearly trace the origins of the term ‘Treadmill of Destruction’, and the distinction between such a “Treadmill” and others


Hooks, G., & Smith, C. (2004). The Treadmill of Destruction: National Sacrifice Areas and Native Americans. American Sociological Review

The source provides a slightly wayward take on the Treadmill of Destruction, in that the Treadmill is typically associated with adverse effects of militarism, however the articles focus is instead Native Americans. Thus the article is useful for broadening the scope of detail in my Wikipedia article, allowing me to discuss the wide range of applications of the Treadmill


Clark, B., & Jorgenson, A. (2012). The Treadmill of Destruction and the Environmental Impacts of Militaries1. Sociology Compass[3], 6(7), 557–569.

Th source focuses on the traditional application of the Treadmill of Destruction, being the adverse effects of militarism. The source to this extent goes into depth on the subject, and is useful for illustrating both how militarism affects the environment, and why this problem is often considered more of a problem than the Treadmill of Production (scarring of the land vs mere pollutants)


Givens, J. (2014). Global Climate Change Negotiations, the Treadmill of Destruction, and World Society: An Analysis of Kyoto Protocol Ratification. International Journal of Sociology[4]

This source is another example of a slightly wayward take of the Treadmill of Destruction, as it discusses International agreements of the State and their environmental effects, rather than the typical application of militarism. The source is also a wayward viewpoint in that the Treadmill of Destruction typically dictates a harmful interaction between a State and its environment, however the juxtaposing argument of the potential for a state to benefit its environment its covered


Clark, B. (n.d.). Militarization and Energy Consumption. International Journal of Sociology

The source is another that’s bulk focus is on the traditional adverse effects of militarism, and thus is good for adding another professional text to be compared and cross references with others that vocalize the same topics concerned. It will be used to further breadth in the application of the Treadmill of Production with regards to Sate Militarism

References edit

  1. ^ HOOKS, GREGORY; SMITH, CHAD L. (2005). "TREADMILLS OF PRODUCTION AND DESTRUCTION: Threats to the Environment Posed by Militarism". Organization & Environment. 18 (1): 19–37. ISSN 1086-0266.
  2. ^ HOOKS, GREGORY; SMITH, CHAD L. (2005). "TREADMILLS OF PRODUCTION AND DESTRUCTION: Threats to the Environment Posed by Militarism". Organization & Environment. 18 (1): 19–37. ISSN 1086-0266.
  3. ^ Clark, Brett; Jorgenson, Andrew K. (2012). "The Treadmill of Destruction and the Environmental Impacts of Militaries1". Sociology Compass. 6 (7): 557–569. doi:10.1111/j.1751-9020.2012.00474.x. ISSN 1751-9020.
  4. ^ Givens, Jennifer E. (2014-07-01). "Global Climate Change Negotiations, the Treadmill of Destruction, and World Society". International Journal of Sociology. 44 (2): 7–36. doi:10.2753/IJS0020-7659440201. ISSN 0020-7659.