Fire and plumes of smoke rise from an oil facility in Fujairah, United Arab Emirates, on March 14, 2026.
| Photo Credit: AP
From the jet fuel used in bombing raids to acrid smoke from burning oil depots, the conflict in West Asia is inflicting a significant toll on nature and the climate.
US and Israeli aircraft use a considerable amount of fuel reaching the Gulf and flying sorties over Iran, said Benjamin Neimark at the Queen Mary University of London.
Deploying stealth bombers and fighter jets around the clock adds a significant amount of planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere.
“The US Navy also has a significant fleet which will be operating remotely for some time,” Neimark said. “That is a significant number of US troops that need to be fed, housed, and working around the clock. These floating cities all need energy.”
This is provided in part by diesel generators, even if most larger aircraft carriers are nuclear powered, an energy source that produces far less emissions than fossil fuels.
But many experts take into account everything from the manufacture of weapons and explosives to post-war reconstruction efforts when estimating the total environmental impact of conflict.
According to one study published in the peer-reviewed journal One Earth, the Gaza conflict generated some 33 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent, an amount comparable to 7.6 million petrol-powered cars or the annual emissions of a small country like Jordan.
By one estimate, the war in Ukraine has caused more than 300 million tonnes of additional emissions, equivalent to France’s annual output.
This estimate, by the Initiative on GHG Accounting of War, takes into account military operations and reconstruction efforts, forest fires, and longer flight routes.
This conflict is playing out on the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial artery for the passage of oil and gas supplies to global markets that depend on energy from the Gulf.
Ships transporting these highly flammable fuels through the narrow waterway, along with the region’s oil and gas refineries and storage facilities, were “all a target” in this war, said Neimark.
“We have already seen a significant amount of refineries targeted. These toxic flames are deadly and have a severe climate cost.”
Since erupting on February 28, the conflict has sent oil prices soaring and focused fresh attention on the global transition to cleaner, more climate-friendly forms of energy.
Andreas Rudinger, from the Institute for Sustainable Development and International Relations, said the economic knock-on effects of the war had put policy makers “under pressure to reduce the burden on prices over climate action”.
But there’s also a “glass half-full perspective”, Rudinger said: “From a purely economic standpoint… rising fossil fuel prices make decarbonization and electrification solutions more attractive,” he said.
He pointed to the rise in popularity of heat pumps in the aftermath of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which caused energy prices in Europe to rise sharply.
Apart from climate concerns, strikes on energy infrastructure, oil tankers and military targets pollute the surrounding air and water and spread highly toxic chemicals far and wide, experts say.
In Tehran, attacks on fuel depots last weekend plunged the capital into darkness as poisonous black clouds rose from burning oil facilities.
Published – March 16, 2026 03:51 pm IST
