Russia-Ukraine war has produced 311 million tonnes of CO2e - report

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🗞️ Driving the news: Four years into Russia’s full-scale invasion, new analysis estimates the war has generated 311 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalent
• The fourth year alone added 75 million tonnes
• Emissions now rival France’s annual carbon output

🔭 The context: According to the Initiative on GHG Accounting of War, emissions stem from fuel-intensive warfare, reconstruction, infrastructure damage, migration and surging landscape fires
• In 2025, 1.39 million hectares of land burned in Ukraine
• Military activity alone accounted for 37% of the conflict’s emissions

🌍 Why it matters for the planet: War and climate change are reinforcing a “vicious cycle”
• Hotter, drier conditions intensify wildfire spread sparked by combat
• Ukraine, home to a third of Europe’s biodiversity, faces mounting ecosystem collapse
• Military emissions globally account for an estimated 5.5% of total greenhouse gases, yet often remain underreported

⏭️ What’s next: Ukraine plans to seek over €37 billion in climate reparations from Russia under a UN-backed environmental damage register

💬 One quote: Armed conflict and climate change “exacerbate one another.” - Experts cited in the Initiative on GHG Accounting of War report (as reported by Euronews)

📈 One stat: The war’s total estimated emissions since February 2022 stand at 311 million tCO₂e

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