What’s the Impact of War on the Climate?

Have you ever thought about the carbon footprint of battle: the bombs, the jets, the destruction of buildings? Do conflicts like the US-Israel war with Iran increase the emissions that warm our planet? 

War leaves a visible trail of damage: lives and families devastated; homes and communities reduced to rubble.

But there is also a climate cost of armed conflict, and it’s an issue that Climate Question viewers have been asking about.  

So in this edition of The Climate Question, host Graihagh Jackson chats to two leading experts about the carbon emissions from jet fuel, munitions and maintaining supply lines, as well as rebuilding conflict zones after fighting ends. They discuss Gaza and Ukraine, as well as the current war in the Middle East. 

Graihagh also finds out about the huge climate impact of maintaining armies and bases during peacetime.

She asks if there are any ways for militaries to reduce their emissions and whether they see climate change as a strategic threat.