A recent report has revealed a surprising and worrying fact: Israel’s war on Gaza has released more carbon emissions than many entire countries do in a whole year.
According to scientists, the war has produced around 1.89 million tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO₂) – the same amount that over 20 million people might emit by living their normal lives. Most of these emissions come from Israeli military actions, including airstrikes, tanks, and jet fuel.
But the problem doesn’t stop there. Rebuilding Gaza after all the destruction could produce another 31 million tonnes of CO₂. That’s nearly as much as the whole country of Afghanistan emits in a year.
This kind of pollution adds to global climate change, making extreme weather, rising sea levels, and heatwaves even worse. Yet, military emissions are not included in most international climate agreements. Countries don’t have to report how much pollution their armies create.
This shows how wars don’t just hurt people—they also damage the planet. If the world wants to seriously fight climate change, it must count the environmental cost of war too.