Globally, the best estimate we have is that militaries are responsible for 5.5% of global greenhouse gas emissions. The US military is the largest institutional emitter of greenhouse gases on Earth, generating an estimated 636 million metric tons of CO₂ equivalent between 2010 and 2019. 

And as the planet heats up, global conflict rates spike – up by 2/3rds in the past three years. These processes are linked, as global warming makes war more likely. This creates a vicious cycle, threatening to tip the globe into a century of war and environmental breakdown. 

Alongside the direct impact of war on human life, the following offers some further glimpses into the environmental impacts of warfare: 

According to one study, the first years of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine led to the emission of 175 million tons of carbon dioxide. 

Though less data is available, conservative estimates for the carbon emissions of just the first two months of Israel’s assault on Gaza exceed the annual carbon footprint of more than 20 of the world’s most climate-vulnerable nations. 

War is also ecologically destructive. 1 million hectares (2.47m acres) of fields and forests have been set ablaze as a result of the war in Ukraine. In the Gaza strip, the tragedies of the deadliest conflict in the 21st century are compounded by widespread ecological violence, with satellite imagery showing the destruction of about 38-48% of tree cover and farmland, and almost a third of Gaza’s more than 7,500 greenhouses. The earth that remains is threatened by severe degradation, as the bombing campaign contaminates soil and groundwater.  

Despite this, and in the face of the imperative of tackling climate change, governments across the world are gearing up for war, shifting state subsidies towards the arms industry and away from the green transition. Seeking to both understand this dynamic, and offer ways of challenging it, Hope for the Future – a climate and nature charity that works on democratic engagement – have published a new resource Climate Crossroads: Environmentalism & Peace, a ‘guide to talking to politicians about the intersections of militarism and the climate and nature crises.’ The resource both provides an overview of the issues and suggests new framings and techniques we can all use to navigate this difficult terrain whilst shifting the conversation back to the climate, and breaking the cycle.

It makes the case that those interested in climate justice need to get better at speaking against militarism, and at building links with the peace movement. In this spirit, Hope for the Future is also organising a workshop to discuss these issues on the 16th of July with Rethinking Security, a network of activists and organisations in the UK working for a just and peaceful world. We would like to extend an invite to GJA readers to attend (sign-up here), and to join in to find ways forward on these issues. 

Fergus Lamb, Policy & Engagement Officer at Hope for the Future