Defence and the Climate Crisis

In the wake of the invasion of Ukraine by Russia last week, there are renewed calls from Irish politicians to increase the nation’s Defence budget and review its status as a neutral nation.

While it is entirely understandable that many people are fearful following an unprovoked invasion that has seemingly targeted civilians freely and indiscriminately, the knee-jerk response to increase funding for Irish Defence forces by as much as 300% must not be viewed out of context.

We are still in the midst of a major housing crisis, with homelessness and those on the brink of homelessness at record levels. Simultaneously, we have a medical crisis where we do not have ample provision to treat patients in a timely fashion, nor do we have enough doctors to meet demand.

On top of this, diverting funds into Defence spending also threatens Ireland’s commitments in terms of reducing emissions and tackling the Climate Crisis – an area that is already sorely underfunded by the Irish Government.

This is the topic that today’s article will explore.

“Military carbon emissions matter because they are a potentially large loophole in the Paris targets – especially for the high military spenders like the US, China, UK, Russia, India, Saudi Arabia and France.”

“With military spending rapidly rising, this loophole is set to grow at a time when other emissions are falling. The seriousness with how these nations deal with this issue will affect in other sectors and in other nations”.

We can see the climate impact of warfare in relatively recent history, with an Oil Change International report from 2008 stating that the US and UK war in Iraq was responsible for releasing 141 million tonnes of carbon dioxide in the first four years alone.

Wars, then, pose a major long-term threat to the climate and public health, as well as a short-term, tragic threat to human life.

Defence Emissions in Context

A diesel-powered VW Golf – a common sight on Irish roads – offers around 47-54 miles per gallon (MPG), and its contribution to worsening the Climate Crisis and public health is eminently clear. Yet, according to Scientists for Global Responsibility, an armoured truck such as a Humvee offers around 6 MPG – while an F-35 combat plant offers around 0.6 MPG.

The carbon emissions for a single combat flight for an F-35 could exceed 27,800kg of CO2 equivalent. As such, in a matter of minutes it will have created more emissions than dozens of cars do in a full year.

For a major military spender like the UK, the annual emissions from their public Defence sector alone is around 3 million tonnes of CO2e – roughly the amount that 6 million average cars would emit in a year.

Meanwhile, a 2019 study by the Royal Geographical Society, found that the US military would be the 47th largest emitter of greenhouse gases in the world if it were a nation. In other words, the emissions of major militaries are more consequential to a livable future than many of the countries who signed the accord at COP26.

Irish Defence Force Emissions

As analysts McKinsey outline, it is possible to cut emissions from the military by up to 50% by 2050, but this is also entirely dependent on both adopting new technologies and reducing use.

What on Earth is the point of cutting greenhouse gas emissions across Irish society – and around the world – if we are just going to create brand new emissions by expanding the Irish military?

An exchange between Sorca Clarke TD and Simon Coveney, Minister for Defence, in November 2021 published by the Houses of the Oireachtas shows two things:

1. The emissions from the Defence Forces are bound by the climate action plan in the same way that all public departments are – namely a nationwide reduction of 51% by 2030

2. Getting a straight answer on how these emissions will be cut is nearly impossible

And that second point discounts that emissions will inevitably rise if military spending is increased by the Irish Government – further moving the goalposts on the amount of emissions that we need to cut.

Need we be reminded that Ireland missed its emissions reductions targets for both 2019 and 2020 and looks set to miss its targets for 2021 also?

If our Government is serious about helping those fleeing from Ukraine – and the 1.2 billion people who will likely be seeking refuge from the Climate Crisis by 2050 – this should be a necessity.

Once neutrality is lost it will not likely be regained, and the idea of spending vast sums on a highly polluting military deterrent that you hope not to use feels wholly retrograde in a world that desperately needs progressive action to secure a livable future.

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