"Wars unleash gargantuan amounts of planet-warming emissions: Russia's war in Ukraine, for example, has generated emissions equal to the annual emissions of France. Those extra emissions drive deadlier heat, drought, storms, and other impacts that wreck livelihoods, destabilize economies, and spur migration, making armed conflict more likely."
"The British intelligence agencies MI5 and MI6 warned in January that climate disruption and biodiversity loss, if left unchecked, will cause 'crop failures, intensified natural disasters, and infectious disease outbreaks...exacerbating existing conflicts, starting new ones, and threatening global security and prosperity.'"
War and climate change are interconnected crises that amplify each other's destructive impacts. Military conflicts release enormous quantities of greenhouse gas emissions—Russia's Ukraine war produced emissions equivalent to France's annual output. These additional emissions intensify heat waves, droughts, storms, and other climate impacts that destabilize economies, destroy livelihoods, and trigger migration, thereby increasing the probability of armed conflict. Simultaneously, climate disruption causes crop failures, natural disasters, and disease outbreaks that exacerbate existing tensions and spark new conflicts. British intelligence agencies have warned that unchecked climate disruption and biodiversity loss pose severe threats to global security and prosperity. As civilization approaches irreversible climate breakdown, the climate consequences of major military powers engaging in warfare represent critical context for understanding global stakes.
#war-and-climate-change #military-emissions #global-security #climate-conflict-nexus #environmental-consequences-of-warfare
Read at The Nation
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