Did the war kill climate change?

2026-03-10 - 21:54

JUST as the world was beginning to understand the scale of climate change, the world seems to have turned back to war. Today, the planet is witnessing the highest number of armed conflicts since the end of the Second World War. Researchers estimate that around sixty active armed conflicts are taking place across more than thirty countries, with many additional lower intensity confrontations simmering in the background. From Ukraine to Gaza, from Sudan to Myanmar and now rising tensions involving Iran, the world appears trapped in a cycle of confrontation. In the process, something else is quietly being destroyed alongside cities and lives: the planet itself. Recent strikes on Iranian oil infrastructure by the United States and Israel produced enormous plumes of thick black smoke rising from burning refineries. Oil fires release huge quantities of carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide and toxic particulate matter into the atmosphere. These clouds do not remain confined to one country. They travel with prevailing winds and may eventually fall back to earth as acid rain, contaminating land, water systems and crops across an entire region. For ordinary Iranians living near these facilities, the consequences are immediate and frightening. Burning petroleum installations release pollutants associated with asthma attacks, respiratory disease, cardiovascular illness and long-term cancer risks. Hospitals already working under strain may soon face the additional burden of pollution related disease. Environmental damage rarely respects political boundaries and the fallout from such fires can spread quietly across neighboring regions. Iran has also responded with retaliatory military actions, further intensifying the confrontation and increasing the environmental damage that accompanies modern warfare. In war, escalation often becomes a cycle where every strike invites another and with each step the environmental consequences grow larger and this is only one conflict. Globally, military activity itself is a major contributor to climate change. Estimates suggest that the world’s militaries account for roughly 5.5 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions. If the global military sector were treated as a country, it would rank among the largest polluters on Earth. Fighter jets, tanks, naval fleets and the enormous logistical systems that sustain them burn extraordinary quantities of fossil fuel. Wars also destroy the ecosystems that normally help regulate the planet’s climate. Forests burn. Soil becomes contaminated with heavy metals and unexploded ordnance. Water systems are polluted with industrial chemicals and oil spills. Infrastructure destruction frequently triggers large fires that release additional greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. The war in Ukraine alone has generated emissions comparable to those produced annually by a small industrialized country. Vast areas of land have burned during the conflict, leaving ecological scars that may take decades to heal. Ironically, climate change itself is already contributing to instability. In regions such as the Sahel, prolonged droughts, crop failures and water shortages intensify competition over scarce resources. Climate stress fuels conflict and conflict in turn accelerates climate change. The result is a destructive cycle. Only a few years ago, the world seemed to be entering a period of deeper understanding about climate science. The language of carbon neutrality, sustainability and environmental responsibility dominated international conferences. Concepts such as One Health emphasized how human health, animal health and environmental stability are deeply interconnected. Now it sometimes feels as if those conversations have been drowned out by the sound of explosions. There is also a troubling contradiction. Governments regularly speak about protecting the planet while engaging in activities that damage it on a massive scale. The familiar phrase “practice what you preach,” often attributed to the teachings of Jesus, comes to mind. If climate change truly represents a shared global crisis, then the environmental cost of warfare cannot remain invisible. The smoke rising from burning refineries and cities is not just a symbol of geopolitical rivalry. It is a reminder that while nations fight each other, the atmosphere quietly absorbs everything. —The writer is Associate Professor, Health Services Academy, Islamabad. (drahmedabdullah83@gmail.com)