Global News_While countries, especially developing nations are facing the wrath of climate change, governments and their militaries though accounting for 5.5% of global greenhouse gas emissions, are exempted from accounting for their role in climate pollution. As global temperatures reached new highs, there is pressure on the United Nations to force military around the world to disclose emissions, removing exemptions that have given them a free ride thus far.
According to an estimate in 2022, militaries are among the biggest fossil fuel consumers and thus, one of the biggest climate polluters in the world. However, the clinch is that defense forces are not bound by any international agreements to be held accountable, report or be responsible to cut back on carbon emissions.
Whether it’s in training exercises, military flying craft or marine craft, defense forces had been left out of the 1997 Kyoto Protocol which had as a goal, the reduction of greenhouse gases. Eighteen years later, nothing changed as militaries were exempted from the 2015 Paris Accords, on the reasoning that reporting energy data used by the military could undermine national security.  Publishing details on oil use could place an unnecessary spotlight on overseas operations, which is yet another argument in favor of not publishing data.
Environmental scientists and activists seem to be hitting a brick wall when calling for at least the military to be accountable for their pollutants. The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) stated that no concrete plans were being discussed to amend the guidelines on accounting for military emissions but could be an item for discussion in the future, including at COP28 in Dubai.
However, NATO, the 31-country Western security alliance says it has created a methodology for members to report military emissions and there are countries that are making an effort. New Zealand is exploring the reporting of emissions from overseas operations, Britain and Germany addressing grey reporting areas and the US Army and Navy even attended the COP27 Summit in Egypt, the first time the Pentagon has sent a representative delegation for the global climate change summit. The US is purchasing less oil too given that in 2022, it purchased only 84 million barrels, about 15 million barrels less than in 2018. Emissions too have fallen 48 million tonnes from 51 million tonnes in 2021. The use of drones has also helped reduce emissions considerably.
While the world is striving towards lesser fossil fuel usage, encouraging the use of electric cars and alternative energy sources, allowing the military a free run that exacerbates climate change is unacceptable. But, if countries are truly serious about tackling climate change, then their militaries too should start looking inwards, address the elephant in the room and stop making excuses to not report and not be held accountable.
