Environment experts have called for full accounting of military emissions as global military is the world's fourth-largest carbon emitter, research finds.
It has found that the world's combined military is responsible for at least 5.5 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions. They said the global fossil fuel system is deeply intertwined with conflict, occupation and the climate crisis, UK-based Conflict and Environment Observatory research has found.
"This makes the global military the world's fourth-largest carbon emitter, behind only Russia, China, the United States and India," it said.
However, experts have called for full accounting of military emissions.
"The Global North spends 30 times more on its military than it does on climate finance. Global defence spending is set to reach $2.7 trillion by 2024 amid growing geopolitical instability," Conflict and Environment Observatory has found.
Experts say a transition to a low-carbon energy system is the only path to a sustainable future. David Tong of Oil Change International called on world leaders at the COP30 conference to unite for a "rapid, fair and financially sound fossil fuel phase-out." The world is still on track to reach its peak oil and coal extraction targets by 2030.
Meanwhile, a new report by Amnesty International finds that a quarter of the world's population lives within three miles (5 kilometers) of fossil fuel projects, potentially threatening the health of more than 2 billion people.
The new emission reduction plans that countries have submitted ahead of the COP30 conference in Brazil are expected to have very limited impact on tackling the climate crisis.
Former US Vice-President Al Gore has warned at the COP30 climate conference that Bill Gates could back down on his stance on the climate crisis, fearing political influence and pressure from Donald Trump.
The International Energy Agency (IEA) said in its latest annual report that renewables will become the world's dominant energy source in the coming decade and that a shift away from fossil fuels is now "inevitable."
The world will build more renewable energy projects in the next five years than in the past 40 years, the agency said. This growth will help meet the growing electricity demand for electric vehicles, air conditioning and artificial intelligence (AI) data centres.
The report also pointed to a renaissance in nuclear power and big tech companies are looking to use low-carbon power to power their data centres. The IEA said global data centre investment will reach $580 billion by 2025, surpassing the amount spent on oil supplies.
Despite the rapid expansion of renewable energy, emissions from coal, oil and gas have increased by an average of 0.8 per cent over the past decade. Fossil fuel emissions are set to rise by another 1per cent in 2025, according to the Global Carbon Project.
The latest data from the Climate Action Tracker shows that if current trends continue, global temperatures could rise by 2.6 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels by the end of the century, far exceeding the limits set in the Paris Agreement.
According to experts, if warming reaches 2.6 degrees Celsius, major disasters will occur around the world, such as the destruction of coral reefs, melting ice sheets and the degradation of the Amazon rainforest. So far, only 100 countries have updated their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), which is seen as a major obstacle to achieving global climate goals as the rich countries are not ready to pay as an environmental polluter country.
The session titled "Article 6 of the Paris Agreement: Pathways to Emission Reduction" organized at the Bangladesh Pavilion on the fourth day of the COP30 conference held in Belém, Brazil, discussed international cooperation, carbon markets and realistic strategies for emission reduction.
The COP30 conference in Belém, Brazil, has become a key platform for international leaders to address the global climate crisis.
The world is now at a critical juncture, with deforestation, heatwaves, droughts and the increasing impact of fossil fuel emissions, and limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius is now the most urgent challenge. Participants at the conference are discussing the implementation of Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, carbon markets and international cooperation.
The leaders of the UK, EU and Germany were present at the summit, but China, India and US President Donald Trump were absent. The question for all is: will COP30 succeed in achieving this global goal?
