War and Climate Change

The global military is a major driver of climate change. At UN level it is exempt from reporting its carbon emissions despite some countries’ militaries being among the largest consumers of fossil fuels in the world. This is a scandal that needs exposing.

These emissions are a direct result of runaway global military spending since the former cannot happen without the latter. Combined, they ensure that international development and human safety is harmed in myriad ways. As a matter of urgency we need this issue addressed as an international development, environment and human safety concern.

25,000 tonnes of munitions were dropped on Gaza in the first few weeks of the war. The carbon emissions from this would equate with the annual energy use of approximately 2,300 homes, or the annual greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from approximately 4,600 passenger vehicles.

In the first weeks of the war, the United Nations humanitarian agency OCHA reported Israel dropped 42 bombs every hour on Gaza.Read on ...