The carbon footprint from Israel’s war on Gaza will exceed the emissions of around 100 countries, according to new research.
A study published by the Social Science Research Network, first reported by The Guardian on Friday, found that the climate cost of Israel’s destruction of the Palestinian enclave, clearing debris and rebuilding the territory could exceed 31m tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent.
That is more than the annual 2023 emissions of many countries, including Costa Rica, Afghanistan and Zimbabwe.
The study found that Hamas’ rockets and bunker fuel made up for 0.2 percent of those emissions, while the supply and use of weapons, tanks and other ordnance by Israel made up 50 percent.
It found that the overall impact of Israel’s wars on Gaza and Lebanon, as well as its recent military confrontations with Yemen and Iran, was equivalent to running 84 gas power plants for a year.
