Wars and conflicts not only have direct impacts on humanity such as the loss of soldiers and innocent civilians, injuries and disabilities, and the forced displacement of people seeking safer or conflict-free areas, but also cause lasting damage to the environment. Although this environmental damage may not directly affect human life in the short term, it increasingly undermines the vision of a ‘more livable world’ for future generations.
Like all other sectors, the armed forces also make a significant contribution to the increase in greenhouse gases. The military equipment and vehicles used to carry out warfare consume large amounts of fossil fuels, contributing 5.5% to global greenhouse gas emissions each year.[i] When looking at past examples of the environmental damage caused by wars and conflicts, it is noted that during the Iran-Iraq War between 1980 and 1988, both countries inflicted unprecedented harm on each other’s oil resources and, consequently, on the environment.[ii] The U.S. invasion of Afghanistan, also, is estimated to have caused 1.2 billion tons of greenhouse gas emissions between 2001 and 2018, an amount equivalent to the annual carbon dioxide emissions of 257 million cars.[iii]
Considering more recent wars and conflicts, the Russia-Ukraine War, which began in 2022 and is still ongoing, has revived an arms race reminiscent of the Cold War, boosting global military spending—particularly among NATO countries. In the coming period, this increase is expected to accelerate further, as NATO member states are required, under the decision adopted at the 2025 summit, to allocate 5% of their national budgets to defense. Within the EU alone, the carbon footprint of military expenditures has been calculated to be equivalent to the emissions of at least 14 million cars per year,[iv] a figure that does not even include data from Russia and Ukraine.
In the attacks carried out by Russia and Ukraine against each other, fires and explosions in military and industrial infrastructures such as ammunition and fuel depots, chemical plants, oil refineries, and dams have released large amounts of toxic gases, exposing the population to air pollution containing substances like lead and mercury, as well as to various food and waterborne diseases.[v]
With regard to the Israel-Hamas conflict, it is estimated that during the first 60 days of Israel’s military operations, the emissions generated by jet aircraft, tanks, and other military vehicles, as well as from bombs and rockets, amounted to a climate cost equivalent to at least 150,000 tons of coal. This figure exceeds the annual carbon footprint of more than 20 of the world’s most climate-vulnerable countries.[vi] According to the same study, the carbon cost of reconstructing approximately 100,000 damaged homes in Gaza using modern construction methods would result in at least 30 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions.[vii]
In addition, about a month after the outbreak of the conflict, attacks by the Houthis on Israel-linked warships attempting to pass from the Red Sea through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait to the Suez Canal forced major shipping companies such as Evergreen, Maersk, Hapag-Lloyd, and CMA CGM, to reroute their fleets via the Cape of Good Hope. The roughly 3,000 additional miles on this route led to a 30–35% increase in carbon emissions,[viii] with an extra 3.4 million tons of CO₂ being released each month during the first four months of the conflict.[ix] This situation not only represents a significant increase in the carbon footprint of shipping companies but has also greatly undermined the achievement of the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) ‘net-zero commitments’ targeted for 2050.[x] Furthermore, the rise in fuel consumption has led to increased sulfur and nitrogen oxide emissions, which in turn have exacerbated air pollution and heightened health risks, particularly in coastal areas.
Another environmental dimension of the issue arises from the negative ecological impacts of damaged or sunken vessels carrying hazardous cargo or crude oil following the Houthi attacks in the Red Sea. A first example of this can be seen in March 2024, when the Belize-flagged bulk carrier M/V Rubymar, transporting approximately 21,000 metric tons of fertilizer, sank along with its cargo after sustaining damage from Houthi attacks.[xi] A further example is the M/V Tutor, which was sunk in July 2024 with its cargo of coal, and another is the attack by Houthi rebels on the M/T Sounion, a Greek-flagged oil tanker carrying 150,000 tons of Iraqi crude oil, in August 2024.[xii] After the attack, the vessel’s 25-member crew was evacuated, and a few months after the fires on board were extinguished, the ship was moved to a secure anchorage, where its crude oil cargo was transferred to another tanker near the Suez Canal.[xiii] It has been noted that, in the event of the sinking of this vessel, the resulting environmental disaster could be up to four times greater than the marine pollution caused by the Exxon Valdez oil tanker spill in 1989 off the coast of Alaska, which released 11 million gallons of crude oil into the sea and is considered one of the largest environmental disasters in history.[xiv]
The last two examples related to this issue are the M/V Magic Seas and M/V Eternity C, which were sunk consecutively in July 2025. The former was carrying fertilizer, while the latter had delivered a humanitarian aid cargo to Berbera, Somalia, for the UN World Food Program and was returning empty. Fuel leaks from damaged ships, along with the gradual corrosion of fuel tanks on sunken vessels, are expected to spread into the sea, causing severe negative impacts on marine life in the Red Sea, fish populations, and the tourism revenues of the countries in the region.
In addition to the attacks described above, which caused marine pollution, another example that had negative impacts on both the environment and seafarers is the U.S. airstrike on Ras Isa, a critical fuel port in northern Yemen, on April 17, 2025. Following this strike, petroleum products reportedly leaked into the Red Sea and surrounding waters, creating a risk of an ecological disaster.[xv]
In conclusion, in addition to the other adverse effects of wars and conflicts, their environmental impacts, considering the health of people living in conflict zones, the sustainability of marine life and fisheries, and the goal of a ‘more livable world’ for future generations should be regularly highlighted in public discourse to exert pressure for diplomatic solutions.
[i] Parkinson, S., & Cottrell, L. (2022). Estimating the Military’s Global Greenhouse Gas Emissions. Scientists for Global Responsibility and Conflict and Environment Observatory.
[ii] Basu, J. (2021). Geopolitics in Environmental Discourse. P. K. Sikdar (Ed.), Environmental Management: Issues and Concerns in Developing Countries (ss. 323-330). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-62529-0_15
[iii] How the War in Ukraine Affects the Fight against Climate Change, KATO, https://katoikos.world/analysis/how-the-war-in-ukraine-affects-the-fight-against-climate-change.html, (Date Access: 15.09.2025).
[iv] Parkinson, S., & Cottrell, L. (2024). Under The Radar: The Carbon Footprint of Europe’s Military Sectors. European Parliament.
[v] Rawtani, D., Gupta, G., Khatri, N., Rao, P. K., & Hussain, C. M. (2022). Environmental damages due to war in Ukraine: A perspective. Science of The Total Environment, 850, 157932. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.15793
[vi] Otu-Larbi, F., Neimark, B., Bigger, P., Cottrell, L., & Larbi, R. (2024). A Multitemporal Snapshot of Greenhouse Gas Emissions from the Israel-Gaza Conflict. Social Science Research Network. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4855947
[vii] Same source.
[viii] Balcı, G., How Red Sea attacks on cargo ships could disrupt deliveries and push up prices – a logistics expert explains, 2023, The Conversation, https://tinyurl.com/yc3cfb97, (Access Date 15.09.2025).
[ix] Red Sea crisis causes 14m extra tonnes CO2 – like 9m cars’ output, 2023, Inverto, https://tinyurl.com/582fd53b, (Access Date: 15.09.2025).
[x] IMO MEPC 83 approves net-zero framework, 2025, Safety4Sea, https://safety4sea.com/imo-mepc-83-approves-net-zero-framework/, (Access Date: 15.09.2025).
[xi] Ghobari, M., Ship sunk by Houthis threatens Red Sea environment, Yemen government and US military say, 2024, Reuters, https://www.reuters.com/world/freighter-rubymar-has-sunk-red-sea-yemen-internationally-recognised-government-2024-03-02/, (Access Date: 15.09.2025).
[xii] Kowalenko, C., Greek Tanker Sounion Towed to Safe Anchorage After Houthi Attack, 2024, Greek City Times, https://greekcitytimes.com/2024/09/16/greek-sounion-safe/, (Access Date: 15.09.2025).
[xiii] Kowalenko, C., Greek Tanker Sounion Towed to Safe Anchorage After Houthi Attack, 2024, Greek City Times, https://greekcitytimes.com/2024/09/16/greek-sounion-safe/, (Access Date: 15.09.2025).
[xiv] Houthis Attack Two More Tankers in Red Sea, Sparking Fears of Environmental Catastrophe, Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), https://www.fdd.org/analysis/2024/09/03/houthis-attack-two-more-tankers-in-red-sea-sparking-fears-of-environmental-catastrophe/, (Access Date: 15.09.2025).
[xv] Sameai, S., Fırat, E., Husiler, ABD’nin hedef aldığı Ras İsa Limanı’ndan Kızıldeniz’e petrol sızıntısı olduğunu bildirdi, 2024, Anadolu Ajansı, https://www.aa.com.tr/tr/dunya/husiler-abdnin-hedef-aldigi-ras-isa-limanindan-kizildenize-petrol-sizintisi-oldugunu-bildirdi/3549665, (Access Date: 15.09.2025).
