TRUMP'S $1TN WAR MACHINE TO OUT-POLLUTE 138 COUNTRIES
Donald Trump's proposed $1 trillion Pentagon budget—a 17% increase—will add 26 megatons of planet-heating emissions, equivalent to Croatia's annual output or 68 gas-fired power plants, according to exclusive research by the Climate and Community Institute. The Pentagon, already the world's largest institutional emitter (80% of U.S. government emissions), would see its carbon footprint rise to 178 MtCO2e—surpassing Ethiopia's total emissions—while slashing climate research, disaster preparedness, and social programs.
The spending surge fuels a military-industrial complex reliant on fossil fuels, with 877 overseas bases and half its budget going to weapons contractors. Experts warn this prioritises war over climate resilience, as global military emissions (5.5% of the total) outpace aviation and shipping combined.
Despite the Pentagon's own warnings that climate change is a "threat multiplier," Trump's administration has scrapped climate programs, withdrawn from the Paris Agreement, and obscured emissions data—escalating both geopolitical tensions and planetary heating amid record-breaking extreme weather.
