We were asked to save the planet one sip at a time. Nobody asked the defense budget. Press enter or click to view image in full size Credits: Donna Fabian via Pinterest I have been carrying a reusable tote bag since 2019. I separate my recycling. I feel guilty about flights. I switched to paper straws, which fall apart halfway through a drink and accomplish nothing except making me feel like a person who is trying. And I was trying. I really was. Then I looked up how much the world spent on weapons last year. $2.63 trillion. In a single year. On defense spending alone. Here’s the thing about paper straws. They exist because someone, somewhere decided that the most effective unit of climate action was the individual consumer. You . With your tote bag and your guilty conscience and your carefully sorted recycling bin. The logic goes: if enough of us make enough small sacrifices, the planet might survive. It’s a beautiful idea. It’s also, statistically, a distraction.…