By Graham Holton, Gurdian.

Ecocide, the deliberate destruction of the natural environment during conflicts, should be an international crime. Advocacy groups, such as the Global Youth Statement, have called for the recognition of ecocide at the COP30 summit. Organisations like Stop Ecocide International are advocating for the creation of laws that criminalise mass environmental destruction.

Advocates emphasise the link between military operations and environmental destruction and climate change. Inger Andersen, the Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), said that two billion people live in conflict areas. “Environmental damage caused by conflicts continues to push people into hunger, into disease, and into displacement.”

In Gaza the damage is exceptionally severe, due to its high population density, the scale of destruction, and the environmental pressures from the sixteen-year blockade. The widespread pulverisation of buildings has released clouds of cement dust, asbestos, and other carcinogens, causing respiratory illnesses. Fires from buildings, munitions, and fuel have created plumes of toxic gases, including carbon monoxide, dioxins, and sulphur oxides. The military operations have left a significant carbon footprint. A study estimated the first sixty days of the attack generated more greenhouse gas emissions than the annual output of twenty developing countries.

The destruction of water and sanitation infrastructure led to the daily release of over 130,000 cubic metres of raw sewage into the environment, contaminating groundwater, the Mediterranean Sea, and farmland. This increased the risk of cholera, dysentery, and other waterborne diseases. With freshwater systems destroyed, Gazans are over-pumping the coastal aquifer, causing saltwater seepage from the Mediterranean. This could render the aquifer undrinkable for future generations.

Bombing sites released organic pollutants and heavy metals, which seeped into the soil and aquifer. Vast areas of farmland have been destroyed by bombing and the accumulation of rubble. This includes the destruction of olive groves and other vital crops, leading to long-term food insecurity. An estimated 37 million tonnes of debris cover Gaza, containing human remains, hazardous materials, and unexploded ordnance, making cleanup extremely dangerous. The destruction of Gaza’s infrastructure, agriculture, trees and soil have made the population profoundly more vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, heatwaves, and water scarcity.

In Ukraine the environmental impact of the conflict is on a continental scale due to the country’s size, its role as an international ‘breadbasket’ and its significant industrial and nuclear power infrastructure.

Widespread fighting has caused forest fires, and damaged farmland and industrial facilities. The bombing of oil depots and chemical plants has released large quantities of toxic pollutants. The first twenty-four months of the conflict generated 175 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalent, more than the annual emissions of the Netherlands. The future emissions required to rebuild cities and infrastructure will be enormous, adding to the long-term climate impact.

Attacks on chemical, metallurgical, and energy facilities have led to spills of ammonia, sulphuric acid, and other toxic substances into rivers. The extensive use of landmines, and the contamination of agricultural land with heavy metals from munitions, will render large areas unsafe for farming for decades.

The war has affected over 30 per cent of Ukraine’s environmentally protected areas, including UNESCO biosphere reserves and wetlands of international importance. This has devastated wildlife populations and critical habitats. Intense noise, chemical pollution, and physical destruction have caused a dramatic decline in bird and mammal populations in conflict zones.

As in many other areas, COP30 bowed to pressure from accountability-averse nations who don’t want to hold their own, or anyone else’s military accountable for ecocide. This newspaper has often talked about the colossal carbon footprint that military forces produce. The effects of that footprint are all too obvious.