INVESTIGATING THE IMPACTS OF WAR ON CARBON DIOXIDE LEVELS AND THE ENVIRONMENTAL DEGRADATION

For centuries war has plagued our planet, with significant deaths and destruction. This paper will observe the impact that war has had on our planet by highlighting how carbon dioxide levels and pollution have progressed across time. CO2 levels rose continually during the Yemen and Afghanistan wars, suggesting that war does have an impact on CO2 levels in a war-torn area. However, the severity of adverse conditions will depend on the proximity to distal settings, meteorological conditions, and the nearness to a point source. An F-35 fighter jet produces 2.2 metric tons of CO2 per hour of flight, further supporting the claim that war directly influences CO2 levels. We compared Afghanistan CO2 emissions to the military budget around the same time and found as the military budget increases, CO2 levels increase considerably more. A map of particulate matter across the globe (Earth.org) shows that particulate matter is more concentrated in the Middle East and North Africa, especially in recent places of conflict. We also compared the Vietnam War to the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki during World War II, with the Vietnam War involving more land destruction and deaths than the nuclear bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. While the Vietnam War seems more severe, during the bombing of Hiroshima, temperatures rose as high as 7200 degrees Fahrenheit. In conclusion, war does directly exacerbate the environment through rising CO2 levels, increased temperatures, and widespread air pollution.