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

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What's the climate cost of war? is an episode from The Climate Question by BBC.

This episode is 23:38 long.

This episode was published on Mar 8, 2026.

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