Smith, Chad L.Lengefeld, Michael2012-02-152012-02-152011-12Lengefeld, M. (2011). <i>The environmental fallout of the nuclear era: Weighing the effects of the military, capitalism, and unequal exchanges</i> (Unpublished thesis). Texas State University-San Marcos, San Marcos, Texas.https://hdl.handle.net/10877/2422This research tests multiple theoretical relationships related to the economy, military, nuclear energy, and environment by employing a multivariate linear regression to a data set including 30 nuclear energy producing nations. The theories tested in this model include the treadmill of production, treadmill of destruction, world-systems theory, ecologically unequal exchange, and ecological modernization theory. Results from the cross-national regression model indicate that the treadmill of production increases primary energy consumption, in contradiction with ecological modernization theory. Similarly, the treadmill of destruction demonstrates a positive effect on primary energy consumption. Strong negative correlations among trade liberalization, and both military participation and GDP per capita, support the arguments of world-systems theory and ecologically unequal exchange. Ultimately these results support previous research that argues political economy frameworks and investigations into consumption-driven environmental impacts should account for the effects of both capitalism and state militarism in a stratified global hierarchy, while vigilantly assessing the roles of mutually interacting power elites.Text67 pages1 file (.pdf)enTreadmill of destructionTreadmill of productionWorld-systems theoryEcologically unequal exchangeEcological modernization theoryNuclear energyEnvironmentNuclear energy--Environmental aspectsInternational relationsCompetition, InternationalEnvironmentalismEnvironmental degradationSocial ecologyThesis