As world leaders gather for COP climate talks, one major emissions source remains conspicuously absent from most agendas: warfare. Analysts estimate military activities account for 5-6% of global CO2 emissions – rivaling entire industrialized nations – yet these figures are rarely included in climate accountability frameworks due to longstanding reporting exemptions.
The 1997 Kyoto Protocol first exempted military emissions reporting at U.S. insistence, a loophole maintained in subsequent agreements. ‘We have entire armies operating without environmental oversight,’ said a climate policy researcher speaking anonymously due to ongoing work with NATO governments. ‘A single F-35 fighter jet burns 5,600 liters of fuel per hour – more than some cars use in a year.’
Recent conflicts illustrate the scale. During its first month, Russia’s Ukraine invasion generated 120 million tons of CO2 through troop movements, explosions and reconstruction needs – equivalent to Belgium’s annual emissions, per Conflict and Environment Observatory data. The U.S. Department of Defense remains the world’s largest institutional fossil fuel consumer.
Some progress is emerging. The UN Framework Convention on Climate Change now permits voluntary military emissions reporting, with Britain becoming the first major power to disclose figures in 2021. ‘This is the next frontier of climate accountability,’ said a European Commission energy advisor not authorized to speak publicly. ‘But without mandatory reporting, we’re fighting climate change with one hand tied behind our back.’