The Climate Question - What's the climate cost of war?

Download What's the climate cost of war?

War leaves a visible trail of destruction: lives and families devastated, homes and communities reduced to rubble.

But there is also a climate cost of armed conflict, and it’s an issue that Climate Question listeners have been asking about. So in this show, Host Graihagh Jackson chats to two leading experts about the carbon footprint of battle itself - the jets, the bombs, the supply lines - and the impact of maintaining armies and bases during peacetime. They discuss Gaza and Ukraine, as well as the current US-Israel war with Iran.

Graihagh also finds out if there any ways for the military to reduce their emissions and whether they see climate change as a strategic threat.

GUESTS:
Neta Crawford, Professor of International Relations, University of St Andrews.
Dr. Benjamin Neimark, Associate Professor at Queen Mary, University of London

Got a question or comment? email us at theclimatequestion@bbc.com

Producers: Diane Richardson, Grace Braddock
Sound Engineer: Tom Brignell and Philip Bull
Production Coordinator: Brenda Brown
Editor: Simon Watts

Published on Sunday, 8th March 2026.

Available Podcasts from The Climate Question

Subscribe to The Climate Question

We are not the BBC, we only list available podcasts. To find out more about the programme including episodes available on BBC iPlayer, go to the The Climate Question webpage.