The ongoing conflict involving Israel, the US, and Iran is now recognized as more than a political crisis; it is a significant driver of climate change. Recent reports show that in only the first two weeks, the war produced about five million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions. __This amount__ exceeds the total yearly output of many smaller countries. This __spike__ in pollution stems from infrastructure destruction, heavy military fuel use, and fires ignited by attacks on energy supplies. Notably, the ruin of 20,000 buildings released vast amounts of embodied carbon from destroyed construction materials.

Beyond structural damage, military logistics are a massive source of pollution. Long-distance missions by planes and ships consume huge quantities of fuel, increasing the environmental cost of the war. At the same time, strikes on fuel storage sites have caused major fires, releasing millions of barrels of oil into the air as carbon. The use of explosives and the destruction of equipment add even more to the problem. Because military operations prioritize speed over efficiency, their carbon footprint is often overlooked.

The path to recovery is equally carbon-intensive. The future reconstruction of these urban areas will require massive amounts of concrete and steel, leading to even more emissions in the coming years. __Because the manufacturing of these materials is energy-heavy, the process will lock in a high-emission trajectory long after the fighting stops__. This ensures that the ecological damage continues even when the conflict ends.

On a larger scale, this conflict shows how dependence on fossil fuels leads to global instability. Interruptions in energy supplies often lead to more extraction, keeping carbon levels high just when the world needs to reduce them. As the planet nears dangerous climate limits, these developments prove that war and environmental protection are fundamentally incompatible.

(Adapted from https://www.theguardian.com)