Polluting our Air: WPSR joins Airshow Climate Action Coalition in calling on Seafair - no more Blue Angels!

Image courtesy of 350 Seattle.

Seattle’s Sefair can be a fun, enjoyable and safe time for all.

However, the environmental and health impacts of the Blue Angels is something our community can no longer ignore.

Military airshows burn massive amounts of jet fuel during test flights and performances, spewing air pollution directly into our communities. The aircraft produce 110-decibel noise that can permanently damage hearing, especially in children. For some combat veterans and refugees, the sounds and sights of military jets can trigger PTSD and traumatic memories.

The financial costs run into the millions, using taxpayer dollars that could support community health, instead of an endless war machine that promotes militarism.

Washington Physicians for Social Responsibility has a long history of anti-militaristic and pro-health organizing. That’s why we’ve joined the Airshow Climate Action Coalition and its members to contribute to the campaign to Say No to Blue Angels and push for a calmer, quieter, safer and healthier Seattle Seafair.

On August 2nd, health professionals joined the coalition for a day of organizing and show of support for this campaign, marching to Genesee Park in Seattle, offering earplugs to protect attendees’ hearing while educating the public about the health impacts of military airshows.

The movement is gaining momentum. Climate and Health Task Force Co-Chair Dr. Breck Lebegue, authored an op-ed in the Seattle Times in 2024 on the issue, "Let’s honor the past but bid farewell to the Blue Angels". Since then, thousands have signed a petition calling on for a reimagined Seafair-doubling in just one year.

It’s time for Seattle to align its values with its actions. We encourage mode shift of transportation away from planes and lanes toward rail, bikes, and walking, we cannot simultaneously celebrate fossil-fueled military spectacles.

WPSR advocates for transitioning away from practices that perpetuate the fossil fuel industry, while reminding our community that growing military budgets fund the nuclear weapons that threaten our survival.

Join the thousands calling for a sustainable, healthy Seafair that celebrates our community without harming it. Sign the petition below!