The impact of war on climate change

Izabela Mońska

War is undoubtedly one of the saddest events that may strike a civilization. Apart from obvious ones like deaths, damages, and migration, the effects of wars often include long-term, mostly hidden impacts on the natural environment and climate. The case of the armed conflict between Russia and Ukraine that scaled up in 2014 and then again in 2022 perfectly explains how war can result in a climate change.

Direct Environmental Impacts of War

Infrastructure Damages and Emissions

One of the most direct fixtures of war is the destruction of industrial plants, power plants, and fuel storage facilities that can emit huge amounts of pollutants into the atmosphere. Massive amounts of carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxides, dust, and dangerous gasses are released into the atmosphere due to the fires caused by bombing and shelling.

An example is the 2022 shelling that destroyed the refinery in Lysychansk, with flowing oil and burning that emitted tonnes of CO2 and other pollutants into the atmosphere. Events like these directly influence the air quality and human health and contribute to global warming.

Deforestation and destruction of green areas.

The war across the world can also lead to the deterioration of carbon-storing natural ecosystems like forests. Warfare often leads to clearing, both deliberate — the supply of firewood — and accidental, be it through fires as an aftereffect of shelling or bombing. Large tracts of forest areas have been laid waste in Ukraine due to warfare that is followed by the release of stored carbon into the atmosphere.

Indirect effects of war on climate change

Population Displacement and Urbanization

The war causes massive displacements of people, subsequently impacting the environment. Those who flee from conflict usually migrate to cities, and then rapid, often uncontrolled urbanization is caused. Cities are becoming overcrowded, increasing their demand for energy, water, and other natural resources. The level of pollutant emissions in the cities will quite naturally rise, and the process of urbanization often involves cutting down green areas, which adds to the growth in CO2 emissions.

In case of conflict in Ukraine, millions of people had to flee from their homes. The pressure lies within Ukrainian urban infrastructures themselves and within the neighboring countries where the refugees fled from the conflict. Increased demand for energy and raw materials within these regions rises, which results in the increase in greenhouse gas emissions.

Economic and energy changes:

This does, indeed, visibly affect the parties’ economies to the conflict, which in turn reflects in their energy policy. The war destroyed energy infrastructure in Ukraine, forcing substitute sources of energy to be found. This translates to higher uses of fossil fuels like coal and oil and, therefore, rising CO2 emissions at least in the short run.

On the other hand, war could further accelerate this energy transition. The damages and blackouts could spur governments to invest in other renewable sources of energy, such as solar and wind, which are less vulnerable to the vagaries of war. Indeed, interest in renewable energies picked up in Europe after the outbreak of the Ukraine conflict, at a time when European countries were close to seeking ways to reduce dependence on Russian gas.

Long-term impact of war on climate change

Soil and water resource impairment

Among the long-term environmental consequences of war is damage done to land and water resources. Activities relating to war result in the pollution of soil with chemicals, heavy metals, and petroleum products. This has negative implications for agriculture and biodiversity. Such chemicals may leach into the groundwater and surface water and thus impact drinking water quality and aquatic ecosystems.

In Ukraine, instances of soil and water pollution as a result of hostilities pose a real danger to local communities and the natural environment. The potential for these pollutants to affect human health in the long term and the productivity of agriculture, which forms a critical component of the country’s economy, cannot therefore be ruled out.

Losses in biodiversity

It can also be viewed from the fact that armed conflicts have a devastating impact on biodiversity. War results in habitat destruction, which in turn results in the decrease of plant and animal species. Very often, the places that become parts of the fighting are protected areas belonging to national parks and nature reserves that go on to degradation and destruction.

In Ukraine, many protected areas have been destroyed due to hostilities. Among them is the most famous and prominent protected area in Ukraine — the Azov-Sivashskiy National Park — which has been seriously damaged, along with local fauna and flora. Biodiversity losses can be irretrievable and their impact on ecosystems and ecosystem services could be long-lasting.

War-time climate policy

Impact of war on international climate policy

It affects not only Ukrainian climate policy but also influences climate policy at an international level. The conflict and the states involved with their close allies may focus only on the short-term challenge to security rather than caring about the long-lost commitment to climate change. The sanctions imposed on Russia may reduce international cooperation on environmental protection and climate change.

On the contrary, conflict can also serve to fortify climate action. Confronting the threat of energy security, many countries may raise investments in renewable sources of energy and technology of low emission. Increases in the prices of fossil fuels and interest in independence from dependence on energy resources from Russia could quicken the ongoing energy transformation in Europe.

International organizations’ role

International organizations, such as the UN and the EU, can do a lot to soften the war impacts on the environment and climate. This could happen due to aid programs and reconstruction initiatives incorporating ecological components of afforestation, cleaning contaminated sites, and promoting sustainable development.

Under humanitarian aid, such organizations also provide support for renewable energy and enhancing projects in energy efficiency control, all of which are very instrumental in mitigating the increase in greenhouse gasses. All these have to be coordinated to take into account short-term needs versus long-term goals.