The climate impact of Gaza reconstruction
The reconstruction of Gaza after the war with Israel will have a significant climate impact, exceeding the annual greenhouse gas emissions of 135 countries. This research, reported by The Guardian, reveals that the reconstruction of approximately 200,000 damaged buildings and other structures will generate up to 60 million tons of CO2 equivalent (tCO2e) in the first four months.
This analysis, carried out by experts from the United Kingdom and the United States, highlights that these emissions are equivalent to those generated in 2022 by countries such as Portugal and Sweden, and more than double the annual emissions of Afghanistan.
The long term impact
Long-term reconstruction is expected to generate even greater climate impacts. The war in Gaza, which has claimed the lives of more than 36,500 Palestinians, mostly women and children, has left behind around 26 million tons of rubble. Cleaning up this debris could take years and further increase CO2 emissions.
Research findings
The research, published in the Social Science Research Network and shared with The Guardian, reveals that global warming emissions generated by air and ground attacks in the first 120 days of the war in Gaza exceeded the annual carbon footprint of 26 highly vulnerable nations. to climate change, including Vanuatu and Greenland.
More than 99% of the estimated 652,552 metric tons of carbon dioxide (CO2e) generated in the first four months of the conflict are related to Israel’s aerial bombardment and ground invasion of Gaza. In addition, nearly 30% of total CO2 emissions were generated by American cargo planes transporting military supplies to Israel in that period.
Climate cost of the war in Gaza
The analysis also highlights the asymmetry in each side’s carbon footprint. Rockets fired by Hamas generated around 1,140 tCO2e, while fuel stored by the group before the conflict contributed 2,700 tCO2e. In total, Hamas’ carbon footprint during the first 120 days was equivalent to the annual energy use of 454 American households.