top of page
Writer's pictureSam Peters

War and climate change: A vicious cycle

We’re all used to seeing poppies begin appearing on clothes, social media, cars and

newsreaders in the run-up to Remembrance Day. Originally used to commemorate

British Empire and US soldiers in WWI, the flowers are now widespread across

Commonwealth countries and some others, memorialising various conflicts throughout

history into the modern day.

A photo of Guildford library on north street.

While remembrance poppies are usually red, the wearing of a white poppy has become

increasingly common, either alongside or instead of their red counterparts. White

poppies aim to memorialise all casualties of war including civilians, while standing for

peace and against the glamorisation of war and violence.


This is not a new concept – white poppies first appeared in 1933, but have become more

recognised in recent years after campaigns by British Army veterans, who argue the red

poppy has been used excessively to marshal support for British military interventions

and jingoism rather than a ‘Never Again’ message. The Royal British Legion has stated it

has no objection to the white poppy.


The overhang outside ZERO is often used by the Legion to sell red poppies in October

and early November, and will be again this year. White poppies provided by the Peace

Pledge Union will also be available inside ZERO.


What’s war got to do with ZERO?

War and climate change aren’t often seen as being connected – but they are, and the

relationship goes both ways.


Many aspects of climate change make wars more likely and more deadly. Dwindling

access to resources like water or minerals, refugees forced to flee areas made

uninhabitable, scrambles for power as governments fail to address the crisis, and other

climate-related factors have been implicated in recent wars and will certainly make

future wars more likely and more deadly. But wars (and global militaries in general) are

also a massive source of carbon emissions and other environmental destruction

themselves.


The impacts of climate change on war

The concept of a ‘resource war’, with parties fighting over control of resources such as

water, is not a new one. In fact, it has been one of the main causes of war over

humanity’s history, regardless of the actual scarcity of these resources. Wars over

control of water have been recorded at least as early as 2400BCE, while imperial

expansion has in part been driven by the dual economic demands of exploiting more

raw materials and creating new markets in which to offload the end products.

In theory, countries in our globalised economy no longer use military force to secure

resources – but in practice this never stopped, from control of oil to access to bananas,

metal ores and other raw materials. As a global economic system geared towards

endless growth increasingly comes into conflict with planetary resource limits, open

conflict over resources is likely to worsen.


Various UN officials and environmental analysts have warned that water wars will

become more likely than oil wars in the Middle East in the future, for example – the

region already suffers from acute water shortages, hosting 5% of the world’s population

but just 1% of its freshwater. Droughts and vanishing groundwater in Syria, Iraq and

Turkey have already made existing conflicts worse, and some analysts believe

freshwater scarcity was a key factor in the ongoing Syrian Civil War which began in 2011.

Multiple countries already experience lethal wet-bulb temperatures (when heat and

humidity are so high that humans cannot survive), and entire areas may become

uninhabitable in the near future, with billions forced to flee to less-affected zones – the

UN estimates 700m people may be displaced by 2030 due to drought alone. These and

other impacts of climate change – both direct and indirect – make conflict and outright

war increasingly likely if governments continue to avoid serious climate action, including

adaptation measures for impacts that are now already ‘locked in’.


The impacts of war on climate change

We tend to think of the damage of war as being mainly to people and human

infrastructure – but the implications for climate and environment are also enormous.

Just maintaining and training a military, even one not engaged in conflict, is a huge

source of emissions and environmental impacts such as wildlife and habitat destruction,

or the poisoning of air, water and soil.


Military emissions are almost always left off of nations’ carbon accounting, partly due to

the desire for state secrecy and partly because including them would wreck claims of

emissions reductions. The US military alone generates an estimated 6% of total global

emissions even when not technically ‘at war’, more than entire nations like Portugal or

Denmark, for example – and this is almost certainly a significant underestimate.

Unsurprisingly, ‘at war’ emissions are higher still. In just the first 120 days of the ongoing

war in Gaza, the direct carbon emissions of the Israeli military are estimated to have

exceeded the annual emissions of 26 countries combined (the majority from fuel used

by rockets, jets and other military vehicles). Including the carbon cost of rebuilding Gaza

pushes this figure higher than the annual emissions of over 135 countries. By March 2024,

half of all tree cover and farmland in Gaza had been destroyed, and there was an

average of over 300kg of rubble per square metre of the entire territory, laced with toxic

pollutants and unexploded bombs.


These massive direct impacts also have knock-on indirect effects. Industries and

companies which profit most from war – such as fossil fuels and mining, weapons

manufacturers, technology firms, major infrastructure builders and others – are often

those with large emissions generally. War actively bolsters their financial and therefore

political power, enabling them to more effectively oppose regulation which would help

tackle the climate crisis or promote peace but negatively affect their profit margins.


What can we do?

Preventing or ending wars and military conflict does not just have a positive human

impact, but also a huge positive climate impact. It may seem like there’s not much an individual can do, short of direct action to disrupt the supply chain of weapons manufacturers and other war profiteers – something which is usually illegal and often dangerous.


However, there are a few key steps anyone can take to help:


Divest your money.

Your bank, pensions or other investments may actively support companies and

industries which profit from war (not to mention other climate-wrecking activities). Find

out more about divesting at Friends Of The Earth or switch banks easily at Bank.Green.


Boycott.

Refuse to spend money with businesses which profit from war, exploit

resources/manufacture products in territories under illegal occupation, or otherwise

benefit from conflict.


Vote.

Vote for parties committed to ending war, reversing military build-up, and taking

genuine action on international peace and climate change.


Peacefully protest.

Despite efforts by recent governments to stifle this fundamental human right, peaceful

protests still happen regularly in the UK safely and openly – as they should be in any

functioning democracy. Whether it’s a local action in Guildford or a nationwide event,

protest is a way to let your fellow citizens and representatives know the strength of

feeling on an issue, as well as a vital show of support for those suffering from war and

conflicts worldwide.


Make your voice heard directly.

Let your representatives know what you think outside of elections! You can write to your

MPs or councillors quickly and easily at Write To Them, asking what they’re doing to

help end conflict and tackle the climate crisis.


Spread the word.

Talk to friends, family, and your own communities about these issues and encourage

them to take action too – or find other groups already doing so. A strong support

network can help avoid us slipping into despair when we feel powerless to make

positive changes in the world. If you choose to wear a poppy – red, white or both – this

can be a good starting point for a conversation about peace and the impacts of war we

often overlook.


Learn more

If the issues in this blog have interested you, why not come and borrow one of the related books in the Green Read Share, ZERO's community library.

34 views0 comments

Recent Posts

See All

Yorumlar


bottom of page