On Emissions by the Military

Source: This post on Emissions by the Military has been created based on the article “If military emissions worldwide were a country, it would be the fourth largest emitter on Earth’” published in “Times of India” on 16^th December 2023.

UPSC Syllabus Topic: GS Paper 3 Environment – Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation.

News: The article discusses the reasons behind the greenhouse gas emissions caused by the military.

How does the military cause greenhouse gas emissions?

Military emissions are due to the following:

1. Direct emissions from operating aircraft or tanks and from the destruction that occurs in a war.
2. Indirect emissions from the supply chain of the military industry and due to rebuilding destroyed landscapes with concrete (major greenhouse gas emitter).

An estimate finds the emissions coming directly from the military and its industry to be about 5.5% of all global emissions. If military emissions worldwide were a country, it would be the 4^th largest emitter on Earth.

Why are military emissions overlooked?

Military emissions are not discussed much because:

1. National security and war-preparedness are used as an excuse.
2. Lack of a formal category for counting: There has been no category where emissions from bases, air operations, etc., can be included. All multilateral operations, whether by the UNSC or NATO, are not required to be reported.

How do militarisation and higher emissions form a vicious cycle in the case of USA?

With the shift towards oil, world powers (such as the USA) wanted bases where the fuel was available for use. The US thus increased its military presence in the Persian Gulf to ensure supply of oil. But the bases and forces themselves required fuel — so, fossil fuel was used to protect access to fossil fuel.

The availability of this cheap fuel then shaped the US domestic economy which grew to be very energy-intensive.  Development of an extensive network of interstate highways generated more fuel need for cars, larger buildings and other civilian requirements.

The growing demand for oil caused the US to continually worry about the supply of oil, and then, military presence had to be increased to ensure this supply, leading to what can be called a “deep vicious cycle”.

For example, emissions by the US rose as the Cold War heated up as it increased its nuclear weapons, forces and military exercises. At the end of the Cold War, US military emissions began declining as overseas bases and installations decreased. However, in 2001, with military operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, emissions increased until 2005-06.

Question for practice:

Why are the militaries of the world and their operations a major source of greenhouse gas emissions?