Why War Deepens the Climate Crisis, Warns Dr. Jignesh Jani

At a time when governments are urging citizens to conserve energy, cut emissions, and adopt sustainable habits, humanitarian thinker Dr. Jignesh Jani says large-scale wars are undoing that progress at a scale most people never see. He has called for ceasefires in the tensions between Iran, Israel, and the United States, as well as in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.

Military activity generates heavy emissions, damages ecosystems, and pollutes soil and water, according to Dr. Jani, who notes that fighter jets, tanks, and heavy artillery burn fuel at rates civilian conservation efforts cannot offset. Hazardous materials left behind in conflict zones can affect soil, water, and human health for generations after fighting ends.

Rebuilding destroyed cities adds further strain, since reconstruction demands enormous quantities of cement, steel, fuel, and energy, all of which carry their own emissions and environmental footprint. Dr. Jani argues that this cycle of destruction and rebuilding works directly against global climate targets.

He believes the contradiction is difficult to ignore: ordinary citizens are asked to reduce their personal environmental footprint while military operations consume resources and generate pollution on an industrial scale, with little public accounting for the climate cost of war.

Dr. Jani has specifically called for immediate diplomatic attention to the Iran-Israel-US tensions and a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine, arguing that ending active conflict is also a step toward protecting the environment both nations depend on.

His broader message is that peace should be treated as a climate priority alongside a humanitarian one, since a planet with limited natural resources cannot keep absorbing the environmental cost of continued warfare.

Photo courtesy of Dr. Jignesh Jani