War and the Wounded Earth: Unveiling the Environmental Cost
In the shadow of war’s immediate human tragedies lies a less visible, yet profoundly devastating, casualty: the environment. As bombs explode and tanks rumble across landscape, ecosystems are torn apart, leaving a legacy of destruction that endures long after the conflict ends.
The scars of war stretch far beyond the battlefield, seeping into the soil, air, and water, and disrupting the delicate balance of nature. This silent victim of war, the environment, faces a grim reality as its resilience is tested by the relentless assault of modern warfare.
From the toxic remnants of chemical weapons to the scorched earth tactics that decimate forests and wildlife habitats, the environmental costs of war are multidimensional and far-reaching. The aftermath of conflict often sees landscapes marred by pollution, deforestation, and habitat loss, which in turn accelerate climate change and threatens biodiversity.
As nations grapple with the immediate needs of post-war recovery, the long-term environmental repercussions are frequently overlooked, perpetuating a cycle of degradation that hinders sustainable development and undermines the health of our planet.
The Grim of War
The Russian invasion, now entering its third year, has claimed over 30,000 civilian lives, displaced 3.7 million people internally, and forced 6.5 million to flee abroad. Ukrainian military casualties number around 31,000, with Russian casualties estimated at 315,000 killed or wounded. Meanwhile, a similar conflict rages in Gaza, Palestine. Following an attack by Hamas militants on October 7, 2023, which killed 1,200 people and took over 200 hostages, Israel launched a military offensive in the 365-square-kilometer area, home to 2.1 million people.
The Israeli offensive has devastated Gaza’s economic and healthcare infrastructure, leaving most hospitals non-functional due to bombings and halting the supply of medicines and medical equipment. The military aggression has resulted in over 31,000 deaths, including 12,300 children and 8,400 women. The Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor reports that Israel has dropped at least 25,000 tons of explosives on Gaza since October 7, 2023, equivalent to two atomic bombs. UNEP estimates the total weight of building debris in Gaza at 22.9 million tons. Additionally, waste management facilities have been damaged or destroyed, leading to hazardous substances contaminating Gaza’s primary water source. Israel’s use of internationally banned weapons, such as white phosphorus, has further exacerbated health and environmental issues.
In Ukraine, biodiversity faces extinction threats, with 800 dolphin families dying in the Black Sea and around 600 animal species at risk. The bombing of the Kakhovka Dam in 2023 caused flooding that damaged 64,000 hectares of forest and 150,000 hectares of nature reserves. Ukraine’s Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources estimates the war’s environmental damage at 56.7 billion euros, or nearly 1,000 trillion euros, accounting for destroyed land, air pollution, and damaged water infrastructure. These profound environmental impacts highlight the urgent need for strategic solutions that address both the immediate humanitarian crisis and long-term ecological damage.
The Carbon Footprint of Conflict
If we care about the future of our planet, it’s time to hold the military accountable for environmental damage caused by war, particularly the deadly impact of greenhouse gas emissions. In the Israeli assault on Gaza, carbon emissions over 60 days exceeded 281 million tons. This climate crisis in just two months is equivalent to burning at least 150,000 tons of coal, encompassing carbon dioxide generated by aircraft, tanks, other vehicles, and the detonation of bombs, artillery, and rockets. Nearly half of the total carbon emissions in the Gaza war, according to studies by UK and US researchers, came from American cargo planes flying over 10,000 kilometers to transport military supplies to Israel. Hamas rockets fired at Israel during the same period also produced around 713 tons of carbon emissions, equivalent to burning 300 tons of coal.
Elsewhere, a group of experts with the Initiative on GHG Accounting of War estimated that the Russian war in Ukraine would generate approximately 150 million tons of CO2 equivalent by the end of 2023. This figure surpasses the annual emissions of developed countries like Belgium. The war itself contributes 25% of these emissions from fossil fuel consumption by Russian and Ukrainian forces. Fires along the frontline account for 15%, while the largest estimate, 54.7 million tons (37%), comes from the projected climate costs of rebuilding war-torn cities. These estimates are likely conservative, as they are based on a limited range of high-carbon military activities and do not include the broader economic impacts.
According to the Emissions Database for Global Atmospheric Research (EDGAR), global greenhouse gas emissions in 2022 were estimated at 53.8 gigatons of CO2 equivalent. Military emissions account for 5.5% of this total, largely from fuel use, exceeding Brazil’s annual emissions of 1.3 gigatons and nearly matching Russia’s 2.6 gigatons. Despite the significant emissions from war and military activities, this topic rarely receives global attention.
At COP28 in Dubai in December 2023, there were no official discussions or negotiations on military carbon emissions. Global political pressure is one reason for this omission; the obligation for the military to report emissions was even removed from the 1997 Kyoto Protocol due to US pressure. While the 2015 Paris Agreement attempts to regulate military emissions reporting, implementation remains unsatisfactory, with developed countries often opting not to report or mitigate these emissions without any enforcement.
A study published in the journal Nature estimates climate change damages at USD 143 billion per year. Based on this, the discussion of military emissions should be an official agenda item at COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan, this year. All conference participants must be compelled to report military emissions and mitigation efforts. Some developed countries should even be held accountable for environmental damage caused by their military activities.
We cannot continue to ignore the environmental devastation caused by war and military actions. It’s time to demand reparations from war-mongering nations to preserve our planet.
