THIS IS AN ARCHIVED SITE (JULY 2026)

THE WORLD’S MILITARIES ARE ONE OF THE TOP POLLUTERS ON EARTH

Stylized black microphone with a neon green oval at the top, on a white background.

▼

MILITARIES CHURN OUT MASSIVE GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS, DEVASTATE ECOSYSTEMS, AND LEAVE BEHIND TOXIC WASTE THAT POISONS COMMUNITIES FOR GENERATIONS.

YET THEY FACE ZERO ACCOUNTABILITY.

Black and white photograph of clouds or smoke formations with some motion blur on the left side.
Icon of a battery with four bar segments, indicating a medium charge level, in green and black.

THIS IS AN ARCHIVED SITE (JULY 2026)

THE WORLD’S MILITARIES ARE ONE OF THE TOP POLLUTERS ON EARTH

Stylized black microphone with a neon green oval at the top, on a white background.

▼

MILITARIES CHURN OUT MASSIVE GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS, DEVASTATE ECOSYSTEMS, AND LEAVE BEHIND TOXIC WASTE THAT POISONS COMMUNITIES FOR GENERATIONS.

YET THEY FACE ZERO ACCOUNTABILITY.

Black and white photograph of clouds or smoke formations with some motion blur on the left side.
Icon of a battery with four bar segments, indicating a medium charge level, in green and black.

MILITARIES ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR AN ESTIMATED 5.5% OF GLOBAL GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS.

THE EMISSIONS COST ▼

Israel–Gaza War

32.2 MILLION TONNES CO₂E
(IN 15 MONTHS)

Neimark et al (2025) 

A cityscape with multiple buildings and a large smoke cloud rising in the distance.

Gulf War

131 MILLION TONNES CO₂E

The Environmental Impacts of The Gulf War (2001)

Multiple military fighter jets flying in formation over desert with explosions and smoke in the background.

RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR

230 MILLION TONNES CO₂E
(IN THREE YEARS)

Initiative on GHG accounting of war (2025)

Nighttime scene of a military tank firing a large explosion on a grassy hill.

U.S WAR ON TERROR

1.2 BILLION TONNES CO₂E

Neta C. Crawford (2019)

Two soldiers sitting in the open cargo door of a military helicopter flying over a desert landscape with mountains in the distance.

THE DOCUMENTARY

Watch

DISCOVER WHY THIS ISSUE PLAYS A CRITICAL ROLE IN THE FIGHT AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE.

One M1 Abrams Tank uses as much fuel in a day as 365 compact cars

DAILY FUEL CONSUMPTION

Two gauges showing one tank of fuel and a car with 365 days of use.

THEY POLLUTE. THEY DESTROY. AND THEY GET A FREE PASS.

  • CURRENTLY, NO GOVERNMENT HAS TO REPORT THE EMISSIONS FROM THEIR MILITARIES TO THE UNFCCC, INCLUDING EMISSIONS FROM FIGHTING WARS. THIS IS A SIGNIFICANT BLINDSPOT IN CLIMATE POLICY AND IT HAS TO CHANGE.

    GOVERNMENTS MUST BE REQUIRED TO INCLUDE THE FULL SCOPE OF MILITARY ACTIVITIES, INCLUDING WARFIGHTING, IN THEIR NATIONAL INVENTORY REPORTS TO THE UNFCCC. WE NEED A STANDARDISED APPROACH TO MILITARY EMISSIONS REPORTING ACROSS ALL GOVERNMENTS, WHICH INCLUDES THE IMPACT OF ARMED CONFLICTS. 

  • MILITARIES MUST COMMIT TO EMISSIONS REDUCTION PLANS IN LINE WITH THE PARIS AGREEMENT’S AMBITION TO LIMIT WARMING TO 1.5°C. DECARBONISATION EFFORTS MUST BE EXTENDED BEYOND TACKLING JUST MILITARY BASES AND BUILDINGS TO ENCOMPASS PROCUREMENT AND OPERATIONS, INCLUDING FUEL-INTENSIVE EXERCISES. GOVERNMENTS SHOULD INCLUDE THESE COMMITMENTS WITHIN THEIR NATIONAL CLIMATE PLANS (NATIONALLY DETERMINED CONTRIBUTIONS).

  • THE WORLD’S MILITARIES SPENT A RECORD $2.7 TRILLION IN 2024 YET WEALTHY NATIONS ARE CONSISTENTLY FAILING TO DELIVER THE SCALE OF FINANCE NEEDED TO CONFRONT THE CLIMATE CRISIS. ACROSS THE GLOBAL NORTH, GOVERNMENTS ARE SHIFTING FUNDS FROM CLIMATE ACTION AND DEVELOPMENT AID INTO MILITARY BUDGETS, DRIVING EMISSIONS HIGHER WHILE REMOVING THE TOOLS WE HAVE TO DEAL WITH CLIMATE IMPACTS. THIS CYCLE HAS TO END - GOVERNMENTS MUST PRIORITISE SPENDING ON PEACE AND CLIMATE ACTION.

WHY THIS MATTERS

THE LAST DECADE WAS THE HOTTEST ON RECORD, AVERAGING 1.2 C ABOVE PREINDUSTRIAL LEVELS.

A black and white photo of a large bird in flight over water, with some motion blur and reflection.
Large explosion with bright orange flames and thick black smoke on an urban street.
Bright yellow-green highlighter marker with chisel tip.

GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS FROM THE MILITARY ALONE ARE ENOUGH TO WARM THE PLANET TO 1.5 DEGREES ABOVE PRE-INDUSTRIAL LEVELS.

WAR FUELS CLIMATE CRISIS

✹

WAR FUELS CLIMATE CRISIS ✹