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Wars destroy lives and the climate. Why aren't we counting military emissions?

Phys · · 1031 words · By Tamara Krawchenko
Military accountability climate_change International Law and Governance

The article argues that military and conflict-related greenhouse gas emissions are significantly underreported in global climate inventories due to exemptions in international agreements. It calls for the UNFCCC and IPCC to mandate reporting and attribution of these emissions, particularly those resulting from infrastructure destruction and reconstruction.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://phys.org/news/2026-05-wars-destroy-climate-military-emissions.html

analyticsAnalysis

30%
Propaganda Score
confidence: 90%
Minor concerns. Some persuasive language detected, but largely factual.

psychologyDetected Techniques

warning
Loaded Language 80% confidence
Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.
warning
Exaggeration / Hyperbole 70% confidence
Overstating facts or claims to create a stronger emotional response.

fact_checkFact-Check Results

20 claims extracted and verified against multiple sources including cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia.

schedule Pending 10
info Single Source 6
check_circle Corroborated 3
help Insufficient Evidence 1
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“delegates gathered for COP30 in Belém, Brazil in November 2025”
CORROBORATED
Multiple independent web search results from UNFCCC and UN News confirm that COP30 is taking place in Belém, Brazil, in November 2025.
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web search NEUTRAL — Negotiations continue to take place throughout the day at COP30 in Belém, Brazil. What’s at stake in the COP30 negotiations? 20 November 2025.
https://news.un.org/en/events/cop30
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web search NEUTRAL — “We knew this COP would take place in stormy political waters. Denial, division and geopolitics has dealt international cooperation some heavy blows this year.
https://unfccc.int/cop30
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web search NEUTRAL — Belém, Brazil. SHARE THIS.In an informal briefing on 5 March 2025, COP 30 President-designate André Aranha Corrêa do Lago shared updates on Brazil’s preparations and priorities for the Conference.
https://sdg.iisd.org/events/2025-un-climate-change-conferenc…
info
“Russia's invasion of Ukraine has generated an estimated 311 million tons of what's known as CO₂ equivalent”
SINGLE SOURCE
One web search result specifically mentions the 311 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent for the period ending February 2026. Another source mentions 175 million tonnes, which is a different figure, and the third is a general timeline. Only one source matches the specific 311 million figure.
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web search NEUTRAL — For four years, it has been monitoring the climate impacts of military operations, preparing annual summaries of the damage. Estimates for the period 24 February 2022 – 23 February 2026 indicate 311 m…
https://wodnesprawy.pl/en/war-in-ukraine-generated-millions-…
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web search NEUTRAL — Russia's invasion of Ukraine has directly caused or paved the way to the emission of 175 million tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere, a joint report said on Thursday.
https://tribune.com.pk/story/2471417/study-details-huge-emis…
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web search NEUTRAL — Timeline: The events leading up to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/events-leading-up-russi…
info
“the first 15 months of Israel's war in Gaza generated more than 33 million tons of CO₂ equivalent”
SINGLE SOURCE
While sources confirm a 15-month war in Gaza and mention that reconstruction alone will generate 30 million tonnes, none of the provided evidence confirms that the war itself generated 'more than 33 million tons of CO2 equivalent'.
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web search NEUTRAL — After 15 months of war, thousands of Palestinians are returning home with the ceasefire in Gaza into its second day.But with around 90% homes destroyed or pa...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xobWZDD2y0g
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web search NEUTRAL — The reconstruction of Gaza’s 100,000 damaged buildings alone will generate 30 million metric tonnes of greenhouse gases – equivalent to New Zealand’s annual emissions and higher than 135 other countri…
https://mondoweiss.net/2025/01/the-flames-that-connect-us-al…
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web search NEUTRAL — The ceasefire is likely to make getting aid into Gaza easier, but the next question is how to rebuild the strip. After a devastating 15 months of war, it could take Gazans over a decade to rebuild. Ad…
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/czx8de2k4epo
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“In February 2026, Israel and the United States launched a war against Iran”
CORROBORATED
Four independent cross-references (Krdo and multiple reports from The Hindu) confirm that the United States and Israel launched a war against Iran on February 28, 2026.
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cross reference SUPPORTS — China is the first major economy to report first-quarter GDP figures after the United States and Israel launched a war against Iran in late February.
https://krdo.com/news/2026/04/15/china-says-its-economy-is-a…
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cross reference SUPPORTS — Iran has effectively closed the key Strait of Hormuz since the United States and Israel launched their war on the country on February 28. More than 2,000 people have been killed in the war.
https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/iran-sends-waves…
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cross reference SUPPORTS — Since the United States and Israel launched their war against Iran on February 28, Gulf countries have come under repeated missile and drone attack from the Islamic republic
https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/kuwait-says-main…
+ 1 more evidence source
info
“militaries and their supply chains account for approximately 5.5% of global greenhouse gas emissions”
SINGLE SOURCE
One specific source ('Parting the fog of war') provides the 5.5% estimate. Other sources discuss general greenhouse gas emissions but do not provide this specific military percentage.
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web search NEUTRAL — Global greenhouse gas emission scenarios, based on policies and pledges as of 11/21. The annual "Emissions Gap Report" by UNEP stated in 2022 that it was necessary to almost halve emissions.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greenhouse_gas
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web search NEUTRAL — Estimates suggest global militaries account for up to 5.5% of total greenhouse gas emissions, but these figures are rarely officially reported due to national security exemptions.
https://www.planetarysecurityinitiative.org/news/parting-fog…
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web search NEUTRAL — Human emissions of greenhouse gases are the primary driver of climate change. The world needs to decarbonize to reduce them.
https://ourworldindata.org/co2-and-greenhouse-gas-emissions
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“Under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), countries have been exempt from fully reporting military emissions since the Kyoto Protocol negotiations in the 1990s”
SINGLE SOURCE
One source explicitly states that countries have been exempt from fully reporting military emissions since the Kyoto Protocol negotiations in the 1990s. Other sources provide general info on UNFCCC/Kyoto but not this specific exemption.
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web search NEUTRAL — Under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), countries have been exempt from fully reporting military emissions since the Kyoto Protocol negotiations in the 1990s.
https://phys.org/news/2026-05-wars-destroy-climate-military-…
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web search NEUTRAL — The UN Climate Change Secretariat, based in Bonn, Germany, keeps an international transaction log to verify that transactions are consistent with the rules of the Protocol.
https://unfccc.int/process-and-meetings/the-kyoto-protocol
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web search NEUTRAL — This explainer on the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) includes the goals, aims and impact of the Convention since its inception in 1992.
https://www.lse.ac.uk/granthaminstitute/explainers/what-is-t…
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“The United States successfully lobbied for the exclusion on national security grounds”
SINGLE SOURCE
The provided web search results for this claim are irrelevant, discussing United Airlines and Reddit forums, and do not mention US lobbying for military emission exclusions.
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web search NEUTRAL — For the United Kingdom of Great Britain (England, Scotland, Wales) and Northern Ireland; News, Politics, Economics, Society, Business, Culture, discussion and anything else UK related.
https://www.reddit.com/r/unitedkingdom/wiki/index.mobile/
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web search NEUTRAL — Jul 14, 2023 · Question This is what nerdwallet tells me: “If you paid for your ticket with United MileagePlus miles, you can cancel your flight online or by calling customer service. As of Jan. 1, 20…
https://www.reddit.com/r/unitedairlines/comments/14z8p23/can…
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web search NEUTRAL — United won't cancel the flight and return the luggage. So, any passenger with a checked bag is completely stuck. Any passenger who may actually want a refund for this nonsense is also stuck. They are …
https://www.reddit.com/r/unitedairlines/
info
“The 2015 Paris Agreement introduced voluntary reporting”
SINGLE SOURCE
One source ('Wars destroy lives and the climate') explicitly states that the 2015 Paris Agreement introduced voluntary reporting. Wikipedia confirms the agreement's existence but not the specific 'voluntary reporting' detail for military emissions.
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web search NEUTRAL — The Paris Agreement was negotiated by 196 parties at the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference near Paris, France. As of January 2026, 194 members of the United Nations Framework Convention on…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paris_Agreement
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web search NEUTRAL — Learn how mandatory emissions reporting has evolved and what it means for businesses. Stay compliant with the latest regulations and best practices.
https://energyaction.com.au/evolution-of-mandatory-emissions…
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web search NEUTRAL — The 2015 Paris Agreement introduced voluntary reporting. However, as a 2025 briefing from the Conflict and Environment Observatory and Griffith University made clear, the result is a system that is “p…
https://theconversation.com/wars-destroy-lives-and-the-clima…
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“The top three military spenders—the U.S., China, and Russia—either submit no data or incomplete, non-disaggregated figures”
CORROBORATED
Two independent sources ('Wars destroy lives and the climate' and 'CEOBS') confirm that the top military spenders (US, China, Russia) provide no data, patchy data, or non-disaggregated figures.
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web search NEUTRAL — She argues that military emissions and conflict-related emissions remain undercounted, even though they undermine efforts to mitigate climate change.The top three military spenders—the U.S., China, an…
https://phys.org/news/2026-05-wars-destroy-climate-military-…
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web search NEUTRAL — Countries either don’t report military emissions data, the data is patchy, or it’s not clearly disaggregated from civilian emission sources.
https://ceobs.org/new-data-reveals-the-military-emissions-ga…
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web search NEUTRAL — But because reporting military emissions is voluntary, data is often absent or incomplete – this is the military emissions gap.GHG emissions should be reported at the most disaggregated level of each …
https://militaryemissions.org/
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“direct combat emissions—jets, rockets, artillery, military vehicles—account for just 1.3 million of the 33.2 million tons of CO₂ equivalent [in Gaza]”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found for this specific claim regarding the breakdown of direct combat emissions in Gaza.
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“more than 31 million tons, is projected to come from the reconstruction of destroyed infrastructure [in Gaza]”
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“direct combat emissions constitute 37% of total emissions between February 2022 and 2026 [in Ukraine]”
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“The war [in Ukraine] has ignited thousands of fires in forests and wetlands, accounting for 23% of its total carbon footprint”
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“the rerouting of civilian aircraft around Ukrainian and Russian airspace has added an estimated 20 million extra tons of CO₂ equivalent”
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“In Iran, it is estimated that the U.S.-Israel war has unleashed over five million tons of CO₂ equivalent”
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“In July 2025, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) delivered an advisory opinion establishing that states have binding obligations to assess, report, and mitigate harms to the climate system”
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“The UN General Assembly has called for Russia to compensate Ukraine for all damages resulting from its invasion”
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“The IPCC is currently in its seventh assessment cycle, with reports expected in late 2029”
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“Global military spending has reached a record $2.7 trillion”
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“total $2.2 trillion invested globally in clean energy in 2025”
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info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.