War is destructive and it kills humans. But the casualties of war won’t end when those fighting put down their weapons.
For months, Hamas and Israel have been engaged in armed conflict that is costing tens of thousands of lives, devastating ecosystems and sounding alarms on the immediate and long-term environmental threats to people’s lives and health.
“Israel’s military operations in Gaza have disastrous consequences for the climate and environment,” says David R. Boyd, the United Nations special rapporteur on human rights and the environment. “Air, water and soil pollution, loss of biodiversity, widespread and lasting toxic contamination, and exacerbation of the climate crisis are some of the immense destructions inflicted by war.”
The battleground, the Gaza Strip, is one of the most densely populated areas in the world. A narrow land tucked between Israel, Egypt and the Mediterranean Sea, the strip is home to more than 2.2 million Palestinians.
In context, with more than three times the population, the Gaza Strip is around the same size as the city of Las Vegas.
Meanwhile, as bombs continue to drop on the enclave, damaging schools, hospitals and infrastructure, the environment—and its destruction’s lasting impact on residents—is another lesser talked about casualty of war.
Every Breath You Take…
In a recent update, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reports ongoing heavy Israeli bombardment as well as rockets being fired by Hamas and other armed groups in Gaza.
When explosives detonate and buildings burn, toxic gases such as carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxides are released into the atmosphere.
In addition, “there are dangerously high levels of particulate matter in the air,” says Boyd.
PM is made up of tiny dust, smoke and liquid that “cause, and exacerbate, a range of respiratory and cardiovascular illnesses,” adds Boyd.
On top of this, reports by Human Rights Watch and the Washington Post suggest the use of white phosphorus munitions in Gaza and Southern Lebanon. Israel has denied this claim.
White phosphorus is flammable and catches on fire when exposed to oxygen. It bursts into a yellow flame and creates white smoke that militaries use to conceal troop movements during battle.
Once in contact with white phosphorus, humans can go into a coma or die, according to the World Health Organization.
If this isn’t bad enough, the chemical is also very harmful to the environment. Studies show white phosphorus can contaminate rivers and the fish that live in them.
There is even an international protocol prohibiting the use of incendiary weapons, like white phosphorus, against military targets located in civilian areas.
Israel, however, has not signed this protocol and is not bound by it.
Every Drop You Drink…
The people who live in Gaza have been dealing with a severe water crisis for years. Because of the large and dense population and insecure system in place, water is the most urgent concern for environmental experts, especially at times of war.
“The conflict has already had serious direct and indirect impacts on Gaza’s water situation,” says Peter Gleick, senior fellow and co-founder at Pacific Institute, a global water think tank in California.
Water supply in the Gaza Strip relies heavily on outside supply. Palestinians get their water through pipelines from Israel, desalination plants and groundwater wells.
Since the attacks began in October, all water resources have been damaged or cut off in Gaza either deliberately or because they couldn’t operate without energy, reports from international organizations suggest.
Another major problem is wastewater management. Gaza’s wastewater treatment plants and most of its sewage pumping stations are now out of order, according to Oxfam.
When there is a lack of treatment of wastewater and it gets discharged into the sea, experts say the long-term environmental consequences can be devastating.
“The indirect effects include a growing risk of water-related diseases and illnesses and the contamination of groundwater with sewage and dangerous chemicals,” says Gleick.
“For that reason, international humanitarian laws and the laws of war prohibit attacks on civilian water systems and require the protection of civilian populations,” adds Gleick.
Both Israeli and Palestinian environmental bodies did not respond to a request for comment.
The Heat Is On
The Gaza Strip is located in the Middle East, a region highly vulnerable to climate change that is heating up twice as fast as other parts of the world.
This summer was the hottest on record with some areas of the Middle East hitting temperatures as high as 60 degrees Celsius (140 degrees Fahrenheit).
Against the backdrop of last month’s UN COP28 climate conference in Dubai, many worry that the ongoing violence will hinder Palestinians’ plans to fight climate change and lower greenhouse gases.
Total carbon emissions contributed by military operations globally are estimated at around 5.5%.
“This war has its own carbon emissions which are not insignificant,” says Karim Elgendy, environment associate fellow at Chatham House, a British sustainability think tank.
“The damage to embodied carbon in buildings and infrastructure also has a carbon footprint, as replacements would need to be built, which would release more emissions,” adds Elgendy.
Also, Gaza’s strong rooftop solar system that provides power for the area has been damaged by bombings, according to a report from the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
With no access to energy, sanitation, clean water or air, experts warn of further devastation in Gaza for decades to come.
“War makes it completely impossible for people to enjoy their human rights and worsens every aspect of the planetary environmental crisis,” says Boyd.
“Peace is therefore a critical step towards achieving a just and sustainable future,” he adds.
