Low-carbon warfare
Low-carbon warfare | Nature Climate Change
Climate change has been identified as a driver of instability and conflict around the world. However, how climate change and the transition to a net-zero world might alter the character of military operations is often overlooked.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Access Nature and 54 other Nature Portfolio journals
Get Nature+, our best-value online-access subscription
$29.99 / 30 days
cancel any time
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 12 print issues and online access
$209.00 per year
only $17.42 per issue
Rent or buy this article
Prices vary by article type
from$1.95
to$39.95
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
Mach, K. et al. Nature 571, 193–197 (2019).
Sikorsky, E. The world’s militaries aren’t ready for climate change. Foreign Policy (22 September 2022);
https://go.nature.com/3rErFNB
Dalby, S. Geopolitics 23, 718–742 (2018).
Rajaeifar, M. A. et al. Nature 611, 29–32 (2022).
Depledge, D. Int. Aff. 99, 667–685 (2023).
Dalby, S. Geopolitics 23, 718–742 (2018).
Samaras, C. et al. Energy Strategy Rev. 26, 100409 (2019).
Barry, B. Green Defence: The Defence and Military Implications of Climate Change for Europe (International Institute for Strategic Studies, 2022);
https://go.nature.com/3ryTxm5
van Schaik, L. et al. Ready for take-off? Military Responses to Climate Change (Planetary Security Initiative, 2020);
https://go.nature.com/44QYrJA
Patrahau, I., Birkman, L., Rademaker, M., Middendorp, T. & MacLaughlin, E. Resilient and Robust: Climate-Proofing the Military for Increased Military Effectiveness (The Hague Centre for Strategic Studies, 2023);
https://go.nature.com/3OjF8Df
Climate Change Mitigation in the Armed Forces (NATO, 2023),
https://go.nature.com/43BZVXd
Army announces battlefield vehicle electrification plans. British Army (17 September 2021);
https://go.nature.com/3rFpkly
DoD to build Project Pele mobile microreactor and perform demonstration at Idaho National Laboratory. US Department of Defence (13 April 2022);
https://go.nature.com/3XZAmhk
Crawford, N. The Pentagon, Climate Change, and War (MIT Press, 2022).
The Military Emissions Gap (Military Emissions, 2023);
https://go.nature.com/3eyzi
Decarbonized Defense: The Need for Clean Military Power in the Age of Climate Change (International Military Council on Climate and Security, 2022);
https://go.nature.com/3OnYLKo
Ethics declarations
Competing interests
The authors declare no competing interests.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Depledge, D., Santos, T., Morisetti, N. et al. Low-carbon warfare. Nat. Clim. Chang. (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-023-01763-9
Published:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-023-01763-9
Related Knowledge Center: Climate diplomacy
Talks are well underway in preparation for the next major international meeting on climate change, 28th Conference of the Parties (COP28), scheduled to begin Nov. 30 in the United Arab Emirates.
Much like last year’s COP27, finances — specifically, aid to developing nations — will be at the center of conference deliberations.
The conference faces an even greater sense of urgency brought on by the Sept. 8, 2023, release of the first global stocktake, which calls for accelerated action to meet the goals set in the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement (COP21).
Climate diplomacy: COP 27 | Climate diplomacy: COP 28 | Climate diplomacy: COP 29