The Violence of Climate Change
War’s massive carbon footprint fuels hurricanes like Helene and Milton
Climate change often manifests as violence, and violence often amplifies climate change. Recent weeks have illustrated both sides of this grim coin. Amped by super-hot sea water, Hurricanes Helene and Milton inflicted death and destruction across the southeastern US. On the other side of the world, the massive amounts of oil burned by tanks, planes, and other equipment in wars in Ukraine, the Middle East, and central Africa released yet more heat-trapping pollution.
Helping audiences understand the connections between climate change and war poses challenges for journalists. When hurricanes or missiles are killing people or demolishing houses today, describing those horrors understandably seems more urgent than explaining their underlying causes and ramifications.
On October 7, Ukraine bombed a major Russian oil terminal in Crimea, unleashing towering black plumes of carbon-dense smoke. Israel expanded its war from Gaza into Lebanon and reportedly pondered a strike on Iran’s vast oil fields. Sudan’s military bombed a market in Khartoum, adding 23 fatalities to a war that has killed tens of thousands. Rebel attacks continued in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where years of conflict have displaced a staggering 8 or more million people.
In May, a Covering Climate Now press briefing explained that modern war carries an immense, though often hidden, carbon footprint. Neta C. Crawford, a professor of international relations at the University of Oxford, highlighted the role of direct emissions, such as the carbon dioxide released by the Russian oil terminal bombing. Indirect emissions, such as the loss of carbon sinks when forests or wetlands are destroyed, also matter. “War causes climate change more than the other way around,” Crawford said.
Destruction of urban areas causes both direct and indirect emissions. Rawan Damen, the director general of Arab Reporters for Investigative Journalism, urged news organizations to make clear how the war in Gaza not only kills men, women, and children but also “uproot[s] the trees, the greenhouses, the farms… the whole ecosystem of the
place is being lost in front of our eyes.” The reconstruction of areas destroyed by war is another source of emissions, which panelist Ellie Kinney of the Conflict and Environment Observatory added, makes green recovery plans critical.
“War causes climate change more than the other way around,” Crawford said.
Nevertheless, war’s role as a driver of climate change is obscured by a gaping loophole in international governance. As Chelsea Harvey reported in Politico’s E&E News following the CCNow press briefing, “Nations participating in the Paris climate agreement are not required by the United Nations to report the carbon emissions from their armies and aircraft or warships and weapons.” The US military, with hundreds of overseas bases and a budget larger than the military budgets of the next nine countries combined, is the world’s single largest annual carbon emitter, Crawford calculates.
Journalism alone cannot stop either war or climate change. But our reporting can make clear how these two instruments of violence reinforce one another and, perhaps, how they might be defused.
From CCNow
CCNow Basics webinar. Join our first CCNow Basics training webinar, “The Three Pillars,” on October 31, at 1pm UTC. In this one-hour training session, brush up on climate reporting basics and go the extra step and invite colleagues to join you.
Southeastern US journalists. Join CCNow, in partnership with the Southeast Emmys, for a virtual get-together on October 24 at 1pm US Eastern Time for those covering hurricanes Helene and Milton to exchange experiences, hear tips from experts, and access resources to improve their reporting on extreme weather disasters.
Trump’s climate record. Watch a recording of CCNow’s recent webinar, “Digging Into Former President Donald Trump’s Climate Record,” with The Washington Post’s Maxine Joselow and the Guardian’s Oliver Milman. They dug into Trump’s first-term climate record, his campaign promises, and what a second term could portend.
Journalism alone cannot stop either war or climate change. But our reporting can make clear how these two instruments of violence reinforce one another and, perhaps, how they might be defused.
Covering Climate NOW
Noteworthy CCNow Stories
Climate finance at COP29. Ahead of COP29, negotiators have concluded that developing countries need trillions of dollars in climate finance. But a more likely agreement, set to be negotiated at next month’s summit, would scrap wealthy nations’ current annual commitment of $100 billion for one in the “hundreds of billions.” By Gloria Dickie and Nailia Bagirova for Reuters…
‘The finance COP.’ At the COP29 conference, dubbed “the finance COP,” countries will need to reach a new global climate finance agreement, ramp up national climate targets, and discuss how to deliver on the clean energy goals set last year. By Lottie Limb from Euronews…
Criminal charges for Big Oil? New York state prosecutors are considering bringing charges against fossil fuel companies for their role in creating and fueling climate-driven disasters while knowingly deceiving the public about the climate dangers of burning fossil fuels. Lawyers are exploring pursuing reckless endangerment charges, which has a lower legal standard in New York and leaves the door open to charging individual oil executives. By Dharna Noor for the Guardian…
Indigenous rights at COP16. Hundreds of Indigenous delegates will attend next week’s COP16 biodiversity conference, where discussions will center on the monitoring of global conservation progress. Indigenous leaders are hoping to ensure the consideration of Indigenous lands’ special status in biodiversity monitoring, as well as achieve direct access to biodiversity funding. By Aimee Gabay for Mongabay…
Insurance ‘nightmare.’ Insurance companies are denying hurricane damages claims brought by Florida homeowners, excluding flood damage from coverage while categorizing both hurricanes Helene and Milton as flood-driven events. That leaves many forced to pay for damages out of pocket, as well as rely on assistance from the federal government. By Rob Wile from NBC News…
Zillow shows climate risk. As homes across the US face increasing risk of climate disaster, the real-estate marketplace Zillow is adding climate risk scores to each of its listings. According to experts, this data is uneven but may help home buyers identify climate risks at the start of their search. By Hannah Ziegler for The Washington Post…
Resources & Events
Up to $41 billion of the World Bank’s climate finance funds are “unaccounted for,” according to a “Climate Finance Unchecked,” a new report from the global NGO Oxfam International.
World Weather Attribution will present its embargoed rapid analysis on extreme rain that hit Sudan, Nigeria, Niger, Chad, and Cameroon in the last two months on October 22. Sign up to attend the press briefing.
Imperial College London will host an on-the-record media briefing about COP29 on October 23. This webinar will explore key issues and opportunities for the coming UN climate summit, which begins on November 11. RSVP.
Jobs, Etc.
Jobs. Canary Media is seeking a Reporter: Offshore Wind (remote). Bloomberg Green is hiring a Climate Editor (New York, N.Y.). Crooked Media is hiring a Reporting Fellow, Climate (Los Angeles, Calif.). The Washington Post is hiring a Justice Reporter(Washington, D.C.). The South Carolina Daily Gazette is seeking a Reporter (Columbia, S.C.).
COP29 opportunity. Mongabay is seeking applications from journalists to cover COP29 from an African lens. Learn more.
Internships and fellowships. High Country News is seeking three fellows for 2025: Virginia Spencer Davis Fellow, Indigenous Affairs Fellow, and Climate and Science Fellow (remote, but open to candidates living in the American West). Scientific American is hiring a New Intern. Apply by November 1.
