Wake Up and Smell the Oil. Your Nation's Military Is Hiding Its Pollution From You.

"While the world gathers a decade after the Paris climate accords were first signed, the single largest institutional emitter of greenhouse gases-the US military-continues to expand its carbon footprint unchecked. The Department of War consumes tens of millions of barrels of oil a year, and its network of hundreds of domestic and international bases accounts for nearly 80 percent of the US government's fuel consumption. Its carbon footprint surpasses that of nearly 140 countries."

"Now once more at the helm of this military juggernaut, the Trump administration has stretched the US military's annual budget across the trillion-dollar line. But he didn't start the fire. The Costs of War Project at Brown University found that, since the Global War on Terror's inception in 2001, the US military has produced more than 1.2 billion metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions-roughly equivalent to the annual emissions of 257 million passenger cars."

"Though the US military leads the pack in cost and size, the defense industry's intrinsic addiction to oil means that every country's bases, aircrafts, and ships are a part of the problem. The Conflict and Environment Observatory and Scientists for Global Responsibility estimate that, combined, the world's militaries constitute the fourth-largest emitter of greenhouse gases on the planet. When military expenditures increase, as they are now, they augment global emissions."

COP30 proceeds without President Trump, but the absence of political leaders does not prevent significant greenhouse gas contributions from the US military. The Department of War consumes tens of millions of barrels of oil annually, and hundreds of domestic and international bases account for nearly 80 percent of US government fuel use. The US military's carbon footprint exceeds that of nearly 140 countries. Since 2001, US military operations produced over 1.2 billion metric tons of greenhouse gases, roughly the annual emissions of 257 million passenger cars. Globally, militaries rank as the fourth-largest emitter, and rising defense expenditures increase total emissions.

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