TEHRAN – During the first two weeks of the imposed war by the United States and Israel against Iran which started on February 28, more than five million tons of carbon dioxide has been released in the atmosphere of the country, an official with the Department of Environment (DOE) has said.

Iran has already been grappling with numerous environmental challenges, like water scarcity, pollution, soil erosion, and climate change.  War exacerbates these problems, and disrupts the sustainable management of natural resources, doe.ir quoted Abu-Ali Golzari as saying.

When a war breaks out, the public attention mainly focuses onpolitical and human aspects, and less attention is paid to the environmental crisis of the conflicts.

According to a recent primary research analysis by Queen Mary University of London, Climate and Community Institute, in cooperation with Lancaster University, some 5 to 5.6 million tons of carbon dioxide were set free in the first fourteen days of the war, alone. The figure clearly reveals how wars can directly aggravate climate crisis.

The analysis also shows that the amount of greenhouse gas emitted in the first two weeks is almost equal to annual emissions in Iceland or emissions from 1.1 million vehicles consuming petrol. The comparison clearly indicates the climate shock, the official added.

The wartime greenhouse gas emission is not merely attributed to fighters. According to studies carried out by researchers, there are many other resources for diffusion of harmful gases.

In case of Iran, the demolition of buildings and infrastructures, the explosions of oil storages and oil products, fuel consumption (planes, destroyers, and equipment) for military operations, the destruction and replacement of military tools, and firing missiles and drones in the first two weeks of the war accounted for 2.4 million tons, 1.88 million tons, 529,000 tons, 172,000 tons, and 55,000 tons of released pollutants, respectively, Golzari further noted.

The destruction of residential areas, schools, and medical centers also have a big share in spreading carbon dioxide, as their reconstruction will require a large amount of cement, steel, and energy.

While the world is trying to cut greenhouse gas emissions, and lower the earth temperature, the wars do the opposite, practically. 

The other effective factor is the use of fossil fuels to compensate forthe disruption of energy in the market. 

Damaging energy infrastructure, with the probable risk of chemical emission, releasing pollutants in the air, and consuming more fossil fuels have both short-term and long-term impacts on the environment.

Paying attention to the environmental consequences of the war is not just a concern for the specialists; it is considered to be a part of national security, and the well-being of the generations to come, the official highlighted.