Declaring war on the climate

War is on the increase. From Ukraine to Gaza, and Sudan to Yemen, military action is creating devastation. 

This drives – and is being driven by – massive increases in military spending. Since militaries are fossil fuel-hungry – both directly and indirectly – this is exacerbating the climate crisis. 

Data on military carbon footprints is poor, so governments can avoid responsibility. A new report is shining much needed light on the subject. 

Target

In 2024, global military spending reached a staggering $2,700,000,000,000 – nine per cent higher than the year before, even once inflation is factored out. This is the highest level since at least the end of the Cold War – and perhaps during it as well. 

The United Nations has pointed out that this is similar to the total Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of all African nations – and about 13 times the size of foreign aid provided by wealthier nations to the Global South. 

Current trends mean this level of spending is set to rise even further in the coming years. 

For example, during the summer, NATO – the 32-nation military alliance led by the USA, and including the UK – set a new spending target. 

Its member nations committed to increase core military spending from the current average of two per cent of GDP to 3.5 per cent GDP with a further 1.5 per cent to be spent on additional ‘security’ measures. 

Reservoirs

NATO accounts for about 55 per cent of the world’s military spending, so this will represent a substantial increase for the global total – and, of course, will trigger further military spending increases in other parts of the world. 

This spending is fuelling arms races, further increasing the risk of war, and diverting resources away from urgently needed efforts to tackle poverty, inequality, and the climate and nature emergencies. 

But what will be the effect of these military spending rises on carbon emissions?

Militaries, arms corporations, and wars themselves are high carbon. Warships, combat planes, and tanks are uniquely fossil fuel-hungry. 

Military equipment relies on supply-chains of high carbon materials such as steel, aluminium, and ‘rare earth’ metals. Wars destroy carbon reservoirs, from oil and gas storage facilities to forests and wetlands. 

Production

The global carbon footprint of the military including armed forces and their supply-chains, but not the impacts of war itself, is estimated to be about 5.5 per cent of global emissions.