June 14, 2025
Muhammad Junaid
While the devastating impact of war on human lives is clear, its toll on the environment is often overlooked. Wars not only cause immediate destruction but also damage ecosystems, exhaust natural resources, contaminate the environment, and pose long-term threats to the planet’s health for future generations.
In 2023 alone, over 170 armed conflicts were recorded globally. According to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), the number of people forcibly displaced due to war, violence, and persecution surpassed 122 million by 2025—an unprecedented figure in recent history.
People forced to flee has almost doubled in the last decade, with 122 million displaced worldwide. Behind the numbers: war, exile and shrinking aid.
It’s time to invest in real solutions.
UNHCR’s #GlobalTrends report: https://t.co/l1FdTcgUVL
— Kelly T. Clements (@KellyTClements) June 12, 2025
Asia remains a flashpoint of unrest. A study by the Geneva Academy notes that the region is currently the theatre of 19 non-international armed conflicts, involving an array of armed groups operating in countries such as Afghanistan, India, Myanmar, Pakistan, and the Philippines. Meanwhile, two international armed conflicts—between India and Pakistan, and between India and China—continue to simmer, with periodic flare-ups keeping tensions high.
In the Middle East, the geopolitical climate has grown increasingly volatile. A recent escalation saw Israel targeting key infrastructure, including nuclear sites, deep within Iran. In response, Tehran launched missile strikes into Tel Aviv—an alarming development that has sharply heightened regional tensions and raised the spectre of a wider confrontation.
As the drums of war grow louder across continents, a critical question looms large: what will be the environmental fallout of these escalating conflicts—not just for the immediate regions involved, but for the planet as a whole?
‘Militaries: The climate culprit’
Militaries are among the world’s largest consumers of fossil fuels, resulting in a substantial carbon footprint. Experts estimate that they are responsible for approximately 5.5 percent of global emissions. Collectively, this would make the world’s militaries the fourth-largest emitter—trailing only the United States, China, and India. The U.S. military alone, if counted as a separate country, would rank among the planet’s top polluters.
Military operations contribute significantly to environmental degradation—not only through massive fuel consumption by aircraft, tanks, and ships, but also via weapons production, bombings, and the destruction of infrastructure. The resulting debris and construction waste, often in regions with weak waste management systems, leaves behind lasting ecological damage long after conflicts end.
’80pc of Gaza’s trees are lost’
Since October 7, 2023, Israel’s relentless bombardment and military operations have razed vast areas of Gaza’s landscape, including over two-thirds of its farmland. In a region already facing severe humanitarian strain, the large-scale destruction of ecosystems is accelerating an environmental collapse that could have lasting—if not irreversible—consequences.
A study by the Prague-based organisation, Caritas, found that in just the first few months, the conflict generated more greenhouse gas emissions than 20 climate-vulnerable countries produce in an entire year.
Satellite imagery indicates that nearly 80 percent of Gaza’s trees have been lost. In addition, vital wetlands, sand dunes, coastal waters, and the territory’s only significant river, Wadi Gaza, have all suffered extensive damage.
‘Beyond the battlefield’
The environmental fallout of armed conflict has long left deep scars on ecosystems and human health. During the 1991 Gulf War, over 600 oil wells in Kuwait were set ablaze, spewing up to 500,000 metric tons of pollutants daily and severely affecting regional air quality. The plumes of black smoke travelled far beyond the Gulf, underlining the global reach of wartime pollution.
In the 2006 war between Israel and Lebanon, Israeli airstrikes on the Jiyeh power plant triggered a massive oil spill—estimated between 10,000 to 15,000 tons—into the Mediterranean Sea. The spill devastated Lebanon’s coastline, extended into Syrian waters, and caused extensive marine life fatalities.
Beyond such visible destruction, the use of munitions laced with heavy metals, depleted uranium, and explosive chemicals continues to pose long-term health and ecological risks.
‘Nothing good for environment’
Experts believe if the recent military confrontation between Iran and Israel continues to escalate, it risks unleashing grave environmental consequences. From the destruction of critical infrastructure to the release of hazardous materials and increased carbon emissions, the environmental fallout of a prolonged conflict could be severe, placing immense pressure on already fragile ecosystems.
Renowned environmental lawyer Rafay Alam underscores the grave environmental toll of modern warfare, noting that almost all armed conflicts are literally fuelled by fossil fuels — from tanks and jets to missiles and supply chains. “There is absolutely nothing good for the environment or for climate change arising out of armed conflict,” he says.
Beyond greenhouse gas emissions, the scale and intensity of destruction wreak havoc on ecosystems. Forests are bombed, water sources contaminated, and wildlife decimated. “When war is declared, all rules are off,” he warns, though he also highlights that international humanitarian laws, such as the Geneva Conventions, prohibit disproportionate harm — including attacks on civilian infrastructure like water and energy systems, or the use of nuclear weapons, which could constitute war crimes or genocide.
Alam urges South Asian countries to recommit to disarmament and nuclear restraint, recalling former President Asif Zardari’s pledge of ‘no first use’ in the event of conflict with India. “Resources, science, and funds in this region would be far better used to fight climate change than to fight each other,” he concludes.