The article examines the environmental and climate impacts of global militarism, arguing that modern warfare and military spending significantly contribute to greenhouse gas emissions and long-term ecological damage.It highlights estimates from Scientists for Global Responsibility suggesting that the global military sector emits around 2.75 billion tonnes of CO₂ annually, making it one of the largest contributors to global emissions if it were classified as a country.

Despite this, military emissions are largely exempt from international climate reporting frameworks, a gap rooted in past agreements such as the Kyoto Protocol.The piece emphasizes the rapid growth of global defense budgets, which reached nearly $2.9 trillion in 2025, with continued increases planned by major alliances and countries.It argues that this expansion is structurally incompatible with climate goals such as limiting warming to 1.5–2°C, noting that military industries produce nearly twice the emissions intensity of civilian sectors per unit of economic output.

The article also discusses the climate costs of active conflicts, citing Ukraine and Gaza as examples where warfare has generated tens or hundreds of millions of tonnes of CO₂ equivalent emissions, alongside severe environmental destruction.

These impacts include contaminated soil, damaged water systems, widespread debris, and long-term ecological degradation that persists well beyond the end of fighting.

Additionally, it critiques the lack of accountability in military emissions reporting, noting that major powers either do not submit complete data or provide highly incomplete estimates.

The article concludes that rising militarization not only accelerates emissions but also reinforces fossil-fuel dependence and weakens global climate governance, creating a systemic conflict between defense spending and environmental sustainability.