Modern wars bring horrors not only on earth in the form of human casualties, but also have a devastating impact on our climate. Although courageous journalists risk their lives to report on what is happening in war zones, zones, less is said about what modern wars do to the sky, which is shared by all people around the world.

Scientific analyses have repeatedly concluded that military operations in general—including the transportation of troops, weapons testing, and maintenance of more than 700 U.S. bases around the world—and modern warfare in particular, are one of the most carbon-intensive activities on EarthThe reason is the consumption of vast amounts of oil and other fossil fuels to power planes, launch missiles, tanks, ships, and supply vehicles, which emit staggering amounts of carbon dioxide that warms the planet.

Moreover, the fuel efficiency of most military equipment is vanishingly low., talking about “gallons per mile, not miles per gallon,” as Professor Neta C. Crawford noted. Emissions also spike when adversaries attack fossil fuel infrastructure, as has reportedly happened in the conflicts between Israel and Iran, as well as between Russia and Ukraine.

Routine military operations, separate from combat itself, account for an estimated 5.5 % of global annual CO2 emissionsIf the world's militaries were a single country, this figure would rank them as the fourth-largest carbon footprint in the world, surpassing even Russia. It's important to note that this figure is only an estimate, as a loophole in the 1997 Kyoto Protocol exempts all militaries from disclosing their emissions, meaning that total global emissions are officially underestimated.

However, a growing body of research by independent scientists is trying to fill these gaps, allowing journalists to report not only on the immediate human consequences of war, but also on its long-term climate consequences.

• For example, The carbon footprint of the first 15 months of the Gaza war will be greater than the annual global warming emissions of a hundred individual countries..
• Separate study found that the war in Ukraine has seven times larger carbon footprint – 230 million tons of CO2 equivalentFor comparison, this figure is just under the 270 million tons that all of Spain emitted in 2023.

As the death toll from the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East continues to rise, journalists will unfortunately have many opportunities to link climate change to these conflicts. It is worrying that while climate disasters are becoming more frequent and severe around the world, some governments are increasing military spending. As Crawford noted, "Emissions are rising in line with military spending, and now is exactly the wrong time for it"Covering Climate Now, a global collaboration of news organizations and journalists, is committed to improving climate reporting. Their work helps illuminate these hidden but crucial aspects of war. Spring