At the UN climate talks in Brazil, Elly Kinney of the British Observatory on Conflict warned that wars and global rearmament are an overlooked source of greenhouse gases and urged mandatory UN reporting of military emissions. She cited estimates that the military accounts for about 5.5% of global emissions and that Gaza reconstruction could emit up to 31 million tonnes of CO2. Kinney also compared three years of the war in Ukraine to emissions from 120 million petrol cars in a year, while SIPRI reports global military spending will hit roughly $2.7 trillion by 2024.
Wars and Rearmament: The Hidden Military Contribution to Climate Change
At the UN climate talks in Brazil, Elly Kinney of the British Observatory on Conflict warned that wars and global rearmament are an overlooked source of greenhouse gases and urged mandatory UN reporting of military emissions. She cited estimates that the military accounts for about 5.5% of global emissions and that Gaza reconstruction could emit up to 31 million tonnes of CO2. Kinney also compared three years of the war in Ukraine to emissions from 120 million petrol cars in a year, while SIPRI reports global military spending will hit roughly $2.7 trillion by 2024.
08:26 AM, 11/14/2025Environment
Military conflicts and global rearmament are an underreported climate threat
At the UN Climate Change Conference in Brazil, Elly Kinney of the British Observatory on Conflict warned that armed conflicts and rising global rearmament — including fighting in Gaza, Ukraine and Sudan — are significantly contributing to greenhouse gas emissions but receive too little attention in climate reporting.
Kinney emphasized that emissions from military operations, procurement and reconstruction are not currently required to be reported to the United Nations, creating what she called a "blind spot" in international climate action.
"We can't continue to have this blind spot in climate action," Kinney told delegates, urging mandatory, transparent reporting of military greenhouse gas emissions to the UN.
She highlighted estimates that the global military is responsible for roughly 5.5% of annual greenhouse gas emissions. If the world's armed forces were treated as a single country, Kinney said, their emissions would rank them as the fourth-largest emitter of greenhouse gases worldwide.
Researchers cited by Kinney estimate that emissions from the destruction, clearance and reconstruction of the Gaza Strip could reach up to 31 million tonnes of CO2 — a level greater than the annual emissions of more than 135 countries. She also said that three years of Russia's attack on Ukraine could be comparable to putting into the atmosphere the emissions produced by 120 million petrol cars in a single year.
Kinney further warned that plans by the European Union and NATO members to substantially increase defence budgets risk locking in higher emissions for decades, because heavy equipment such as tanks and jets have long life cycles and high fuel demands.
Barbara Magalhães Teixeira of the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) noted the institute's latest data showing that global military spending is projected to reach about $2.7 trillion by 2024 — the highest level on record — a trend that may further entrench the military sector's carbon footprint.
The speakers called for improved measurement, transparency and formal UN reporting requirements so that military emissions are included in national and international climate strategies and mitigation efforts.