THE CONFLICT BETWEEN ISRAEL AND HAMAS DOES NOT ONLY THREATEN WORLD PEACE AND THE LIVES OF MANY INNOCENTS BUT ALSO THE HEALTH OF OUR PLANET.
The war on Gaza it not only has an immense human cost, with the number of civilian victims growing every day, but the Planet is also paying a high price. According to the recent studio spread by the English newspaper The Guardianthe emissions generated only in the first two months of the conflict were higher thancarbon footprint annual survey of more than twenty of the world’s most climate-vulnerable nations.
Over 99% of the 281 thousand tons of carbon dioxide estimated occurred in the first two months following the terrorist attack Hamas of October 7th. They can be attributed to the Israeli air bombardment and ground invasion of Gaza. This is supported by the results of the study carried out by researchers from the United Kingdom and the United States and published in Social Science Research Network.
However, the valuation is probably greatly underestimated. But already with these data from the first sixty days of conflict it appears that the climate cost of the Israeli military response is equivalent to the burning of at least 150 thousand tons of coal.
CO emissions2 produced during the conflict
The analysis, in particular, focuses on the value of CO₂ produced by aircraft, the fuel of other vehicles, the manufacture and explosion of bombs, artillery and rockets. And more than half of these emissions are produced by US cargo planes which transported military supplies to Israel (133 thousand tons of carbon dioxide). The Israeli planes instead they produced 121 thousand tons, land transport around 5 thousand tons, while bombs, rockets and ammunition around 21 thousand tons. Finally i Hamas rockets launched over Israel in the same period generated approximately 713 tons of CO₂.
Furthermore, the data does not include emissions produced by other greenhouse gases, such as methane, and does not consider the entire war supply chain. Therefore, only the emissions produced by the vehicles that operated in the territory of Gaza and those dedicated to direct refueling are considered.
«This research helps us understand the immense scope of military emissionsfrom preparation for war, from the conduct and reconstruction after the end of the conflict – he has declared David BoydUnited Nations special rapporteur on human rights and the environment -. Armed conflict pushes humanity even closer to the abyss of climate catastrophe. It’s a silly way to spend our ever-shrinking carbon budget».
The costs of reconstruction in the Gaza Strip
But the consequences for the global climate emergency are exacerbated not only by the emissions produced by bombs and airplanes, but also by those that will be produced by reconstruction of all damaged buildings in Gaza.
The carbon cost of rebuilding 100,000 buildings will generate at least 30 million tonnes of CO₂, equal to New Zealand’s annual emissions and well above those of 135 other countries, such as Sri Lanka, Lebanon and Uruguay. And even this estimate does not take into account new developments. According to what emerges from satellite images of the area, between 102 thousand and 129 thousand buildings have been demolished or seriously damaged in the Gaza Strip.
Finally, if we also consider all the war infrastructure built by both Israel and Hamas, including the underground network of 500 kilometers of tunnels built by Hamas and the 65 kilometer Israeli protective fence, approximately 450 thousand greenhouse gas emissions have been generated.
The climate crisis hits the Gaza Strip
This increase in greenhouse gas emissions due to the conflict will unfortunately have its serious effects felt on the territory of Middle East. Already the area, its water availability and food security, were threatened by typical consequences of the climate crisissuch as rising sea levels, drought and extreme heat.
The situation in the Gaza Strip is now even more catastrophic. Much of the agricultural land, energy and water infrastructure has been destroyed or polluted, with devastating health impacts.
Furthermore, carbon dioxide emissions in the eastern Mediterranean and Middle East are growing rapidly. They have also surpassed those of the European Union and not only because of the current conflict. In recent decades, the area has warmed much faster than other inhabited regions, and clear changes in the hydrological cycle have emerged. Furthermore, extreme climate events are expected to worsen, such as heat waves, Drought e dust stormsas well as events torrential rain which can trigger flash floods.
The impact of the military sector on the climate crisis
A significant impact in the climate crisis is that of greenhouse gas emissions produced by Armed forcesas this same research highlights.
«The study is just a snapshot of the war’s broader military footprint – he has declared Benjamin Neumarkprofessor at Queen Mary University of London and co-author of the research -. It’s a partial picture of the massive carbon emissions and broader toxic pollutants that will remain long after the fighting ends».
Despite, in fact, the declaration of military emissions to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) by the various States is voluntary, according to the data released by the report Estimating the Military’s Global Greenhouse Gas Emissionspublished by Scientists for Global Responsibility e Conflict and Environment Observatory, the Armed Forces account for nearly 5.5% of global greenhouse gas emissions each year. They are more than those produced by the aviation and shipping industries. This makes theglobal military carbon footprinteven without taking into account the increase during specific conflicts, the fourth largest, after the United States, China and India.
«The military’s environmental exceptionalism allows them to pollute with impunity, as if the carbon emissions emitted by their tanks and fighter planes don’t matter – continues Neimark -. All this has to stop. To tackle the climate crisis we need responsibility».