As the war in Gaza continued, Rev Sue Parfitt explains the relationship between war and the climate crisis

Most of us in CCA have probably been transfixed by the daily reporting of the terrible destruction of human lives and infrastructure in Gaza, with 1.9 million displaced from their homes multiple times since October 7th and now watching starvation and fast spreading infections unfold before our eyes. On a lesser scale we have watched with horror the effects of the war in Ukraine. We are told that there are currently, 30 wars raging in the world. What we may not immediately understand is the link between all this death and destruction with our concern for and knowledge about the climate crisis. Yet as the banner at the top of this piece proclaims, “War creates climate chaos and climate chaos creates war”. It is a deadly two-way interaction that seems all too often to go unnoticed or reacted to by climate protesters.

Focusing on Gaza, to date there have been 88,000 Palestinian civilian casualties (29,700 killed and 57,800
injured) and 70% of residential buildings have been destroyed. Such a level of violence unleashed by Israel can only have exponentially increased the amount of carbon emissions in Gaza.

Professor Mazin Qumsiyeh of Bethlehem University and Director of the Palestine Institute of Biodiversity and Sustainability states in a paper to be published shortly: “Israel is in the top 10 countries in terms of military expenditure and this is directly related to CO2 emissions in those 10 countries. Thus, it is really ‘Guns versus Climate’ … .Israeli military activities both before, during, and after conflicts have resulted in significant and lasting degradation of the local environment throughout historic Palestine. The results are felt on the ground in many areas. For example, roughly a third of the plant species in the West Bank are now rare or threatened.” 1.

“On the ground, this war has destroyed every aspect of Gaza’s environment,” Nada Majdalani, the Ramallah-based Palestine Director of Eco Peace Middle East, told Al Jazeera News recently. 2. Temperature increases, with concomittant droughts and heatwaves were increasingly being recorded in Palestine long before this appalling outbreak of violence, with projections of a 4 degree rise by the end of the century. The level of violence unleashed by Israel since October 7th can only have added to this.

But where are our voices saying that the waging of war is total madness within our current climate predicament? Because of the 16 year old siege of Gaza by Israel and the embargo on fuel, Palestinians in Gaza have been creative in turning to renewables, particularly to solar energy.

“Gazans have been climate adaptive, and some 60 percent of their energy has come from solar power,” Majdalani says. But Israeli bombing has damaged or destroyed thousands of buildings, many of which were roofed with solar panels. “Destroying the solar panels is not only targeting the wellbeing of people, it’s diminishing the efforts of the Gazans to take climate adaptation measures and measures to secure clean energy,” she says.

But the chief effect of war on climate change comes from the enormous quantities of emissions produced by the military. Dr Rowland Dye, from XR Peace Bristol* writes as follows: “If you’ve ever wondered about the carbon foot-print of the military, you’ll be disappointed that you are not allowed to know! This data was specifically excluded from the 1997 Kyoto Protocol and onwards! Nevertheless, Scientists for Global Responsibility estimate it’s probably up to about 6% of the national total – that’s the equivalent of an extra six million cars on our roads.

And that’s only the carbon foot-print of extracting the raw materials, building the equipment, powering it and eventually disposing of it. Gaza gives us a glimpse of the impact of actually using this military technology. At the time of writing (December 2023), the tonnage of bombs “unloaded” onto Gaza is now being counted in units of WW2 nuclear bombs. The death-toll and suffering of the civilian population is of course off-the-scale. But the long-term consequences for the climate crisis of this and other areas of global violence and war are incalculable.

Added to that, the carbon-footprint of the destroyed infrastructure plus its reconstruction, if it ever happens, is colossal. The power of the global elites to wage war on the poor to maintain exploitative extractive industries and profit-generating markets is revealed. Their total ruthlessness to commit genocide on us all, by war or by climate-change, is now shockingly clear.” 3.

In summary, we need to take seriously – in the breadth of our concerns, in our selection of areas of protest and in our messaging, that “war creates climate chaos and climate chaos creates war”. Our passion for the earth needs to be reflected in our passionate call for an end to genocide and an immediate cease fire in Gaza, without which, the destruction of the earth will continue at pace in this tiny geographical area. According to research by the Campaign Against the Arms Trade (CAAT), the UK has licensed approximately £472 million in arms exports to Israel since 2015. These exports consist of a variety of components, equipment and technology, including for fighter aircraft and drones. But the UK government says they have no plans to revoke these licences nor is it prepared to support the South African initiative to take Israel to the International Criminal Court for genocide. Amongst all the nations of the world, only the United States is taking a similar stance.

So as Christians and as climate protesters, we are urgently required to understand these interconnections and to take whatever action we can to highlight them and reduce and eliminate their effects. We can keep ourselves informed by watching Al Jazeera news each day, however distressing and painful that is; we can write to our MP and to the Foreign Secretary asking that the arms trade with Israel cease; we can join a campaign or rally of support; we can donate to charities struggling to mitigate the appalling suffering in Gaza; we can send messages to our friends and contacts in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, in solidarity with their right to life for themselves and for their environment, filled with vulnerable creatures, plant life and ecosystems so severely under threat; we can take arrestable actions in and around the arms manufacturers’ bases, the MOD, the arms fairs and the courts where protesters are being tried. Above all, we can pray without ceasing. As always in the interlocking crises in which we find ourselves, whatever it takes, whatever the cost – the time for action is now!

1. Qumsiyeh, Mazin (in press 2024) The Impact of the Israeli Military Activities on the Environment, International Journal of Environmental Studies
2. Majdalani, Nadja, 2023, Ramallah-based Palestine Director of Eco Peace Middle East, communication to Al Jazeera
3. Dye, Rowland, 2023, Bristol Palestine Solidarity Newsletter, December 2023