Article by The Conversation, November 2025
Following a ceasefire in October, residents of Gaza have returned to heavily damaged towns and cities. While reconstruction may eventually restore homes and basic livelihoods, the lasting environmental footprint of the war will persist for decades. Research under review indicates that military operations in Gaza generated the equivalent of over 32 million tonnes of carbon dioxide in the first 15 months of the conflict, comparable to the annual emissions of roughly eight and a half coal-fired power plants or nearly equivalent to Jordan’s total national output of greenhouse gases.
At present, researchers and civil society organisations bear the responsibility for calculating such wartime emissions. There are no binding requirements under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) for governments to report greenhouse gas emissions arising from military operations or conflicts. However, new international legal developments may signal change. In July 2025, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) issued a landmark advisory opinion clarifying states’ obligations to act against climate change. The Court affirmed that governments are legally bound to protect the climate system
This legal clarification builds on a series of recent international initiatives aimed at protecting the environment during conflict. In 2022, the UN’s International Law Commission advanced a set of “draft principles” addressing environmental protection before, during, and after warfare. These principles recognize that armed conflicts can exacerbate global environmental challenges such as climate change and biodiversity loss, and establish guidelines for environmental protection even in occupations.
Another emerging concept, ecocide, is increasingly seen as a legal framework for addressing the severe and lasting harm caused to ecosystems through war. Ecocide is defined as widespread or long-term environmental destruction resulting from unlawful or reckless acts. Some countries, including Belgium and Chile, have already codified ecocide as a criminal offense, while the International Union for Conservation of Nature voted in October 2025 to formally recognize it as a means to safeguard nature under international law.
The issue of military emissions will feature prominently at COP30 in Belém, Brazil, where a high-level panel will address the lack of conflict-related reporting under the UNFCCC. The article indicates that global climate governance cannot succeed without acknowledging and recording the vast emissions fuelled by war, a blind spot that must be corrected if the international community is to respond effectively to the intensifying environmental degradations.
This summary is based on extracts from the article authored by Benjamin Neimark and Kate Mackintosh. To read the full version of the article, follow the link here.
Photo credits by Mohamed Ibrahim on Unsplash.
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