While the world watches the humanitarian crises unfold in Ukraine, Gaza, Iran, and Israel, a quieter yet devastating consequence of modern warfare is taking root the environmental destruction that lingers long after the bombs stop falling.
From scorched oil refineries to missile-induced pollution, today’s conflicts are unleashing climate damage on a massive scale. Military activities are responsible for an estimated 5.5% of total global greenhouse gas emissions enough to make armed forces the fourth-largest polluter on Earth if counted as a single nation. Yet, these emissions are not routinely tracked or reported under global climate agreements.
In June 2025, Israeli airstrikes on Iranian nuclear sites, including Natanz and Fordow, sparked fears of a potential radiological disaster. Though major fallout was avoided, experts warn that any damage to the Bushehr nuclear facility near the Gulf could lead to regional contamination of marine ecosystems and critical freshwater sources.
Meanwhile, fires at Iran’s Tehran oil refinery and the Shahran fuel depot released a toxic cocktail of pollutants from carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxides to volatile organic compounds severely impacting air quality and public health.
In Gaza, military operations over 15 months generated 1.9 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalent, exceeding the annual emissions of 36 nations. When post-war reconstruction and logistics are considered, emissions jump to a staggering 32.2 million tonnes more than 100 countries emit in a year.
The Russia-Ukraine conflict, ongoing since 2022, has released 230 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalent by early 2025 including 55 million tonnes in 2024 alone, equivalent to emissions from 120 million fossil fuel vehicles.
Warfare’s pollution doesn’t stop at carbon. Missiles release black carbon, aluminium oxide, and chlorine-based gases, some of which can erode the ozone layer. Explosions contaminate soil and water bodies, creating ecological damage that lasts for generations.
Yet, military emissions remain a blind spot in global climate strategies. Despite their scale and impact, countries are not obligated to report emissions from military operations. This omission allows one of the most polluting sectors to operate in the shadows, even as climate science warns of irreversible tipping points.
As conflicts rage, the Earth is absorbing the blows through rising heat, poisoned waters, shrinking biodiversity, and accelerated climate instability. The climate cost of war is no longer hidden it is etched into the atmosphere, burned into the land, and laced into the rivers.
If the world is serious about climate action, it must confront not only fossil fuels and deforestation but also the unchecked climate footprint of war. Because every bullet fired, every fuel depot bombed, and every city reduced to rubble pushes the planet closer to climate chaos.
War doesn’t just destroy lives it scorches the Earth.