Các nhà khoa học tính toán lượng khí thải do chiến tranh ở Gaza
Lần đầu tiên, các nhà khoa học đã tính toán lượng khí thải CO2 do xung đột giữa Israel và Hamas tại Gaza. Họ khẳng định có khoảng 33 triệu tấn CO2 được thải ra, tương đương với lượng khí thải hàng năm của Jordan.
Bài chi tiết
Emissions of greenhouse gases arise from a variety of human activities, and wars undoubtedly play a role in this. The problem is that these data are often poorly estimated. However, a group of British scientists has now succeeded in this task.
The new study estimates that the war between Israel and Hamas produced approximately 33 million tons of "carbon dioxide equivalent"—meaning the total amount of greenhouse gases corresponds to 33 million tons of CO2.
To put this into context: 33 million tons of carbon dioxide is equivalent to the total emissions of Jordan in 2024 or the annual emissions of 7.6 million gasoline-powered cars. According to the authors, this highlights the often overlooked environmental impact of armed conflict.
The authors included both emissions directly related to military activities and those associated with infrastructure development and post-war reconstruction.
The study was published in the journal One Earth, with contributions from scientists at Lancaster University and Queen Mary University in London. The research follows earlier work that examined emissions in the first months of the conflict. The most severe impact of war is, of course, the loss of human life, followed by economic damage, but according to the scientists, emissions also have negative impacts.
Israel's offensive in the Gaza Strip began after an attack by Hamas in October 2023 that killed around 1,200 civilians in Israel and involved the abduction of 251 people into Gaza. During the conflict, the Jewish state launched massive bombing and a ground assault in Gaza, devastating its cities, and according to Hamas-controlled Palestinian authorities, over 72,000 people were killed. Last October, both sides agreed to a ceasefire mediated by the United States, but violence continues on an almost daily basis, with both sides accusing each other of violating the truce.
The emissions from various types of military activities differ. Emissions directly from military operations exceeded 1.3 million tons of CO2; this includes emissions associated with artillery, rockets, and other military technology, including their transportation.
The vast majority of emissions are related to the construction of defense infrastructure and the significant carbon footprint associated with the repair of damaged roads, buildings, and other essential infrastructure after the conflict.
“Armed conflicts cause enormous humanitarian and economic damage, but their environmental impacts are rarely accounted for. Our research shows that war can generate significant greenhouse gas emissions, from active military operations to subsequent reconstruction,” said Benjamin Neimark from Queen Mary University, who led the research.
Understanding the impact of conflicts on the environment is crucial for science to thoroughly grasp all factors influencing climate change. These impacts have often been ignored. “The environmental costs of conflicts are enormous and overlooked. By accounting for carbon emissions from conflicts, we are highlighting what is often invisible,” add the authors.
They emphasize that emissions from military activities are largely excluded from international reporting frameworks on climate, meaning the impact of war on the environment is often absent from global climate analyses. The study also calls for greater transparency in reporting emissions from military activities through international mechanisms such as the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
Z Gazy je 60 milionů tun sutin. Hlad se zmírnil, zabíjení nepřestalo
Các nhà khoa học tính toán lượng khí thải do chiến tranh ở Gaza