The Gaza war's emissions in just two months surpassed the yearly carbon output of a score of the world's most climate-vulnerable nations, a groundbreaking study indicates.
Nina Lakhani reports for The Guardian.
In short:
- The conflict produced 281,000 metric tons of CO2, mainly from Israel's military actions, equivalent to burning 150,000 tons of coal.
- U.S. cargo planes delivering military supplies to Israel contributed nearly half of these emissions.
- Rebuilding Gaza's damaged infrastructure will further exacerbate the climate crisis, with emissions comparable to New Zealand's annual output.
Key quote:
“This study is only a snapshot of the larger military boot print of war … a partial picture of the massive carbon emissions and wider toxic pollutants that will remain long after the fighting is over.”
— Benjamin Neimark, Senior Lecturer at Queen Mary, University of London.
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