Pollution that goes beyond war | US-Israel War on Iran

War is first measured in lives lost, families uprooted and surrounding communities devastated. But there are also deadly consequences that are often overlooked. Damage caused by war can linger in cities, contaminate water and soil, and affect public health long after the war has ended. This is the case with the Iran war.

Six weeks of bombings in Iran and the Gulf that have seen attacks on electricity are already taking their toll. Burning tanks send toxic emissions into the air, while waste, spills and residual oil threaten coastal waters and marine life across the Gulf, where pollution can spread beyond the immediate area.

The region has already seen how long such damage can last. During the Gulf War of 1991, the returning Iraqi soldiers set fire to more than 600 Kuwaiti oil wells. For many months, thick smoke covered the air, polluting the air, polluting the soil and groundwater across the Gulf – with a generation of health consequences.

The United Nations later found most of the damage to be harmful: Through the UN Compensation Commission, Iraq paid more than $50bn for damages related to oil fires, sea damage and environmental damage.

Ukraine provides another terrible example. The ongoing war has created a toxic legacy, with attacks on oil depots, industrial sites, chemical depots and power plants polluting the air, rivers and fields in many parts of the country. The UN and Ukrainian organizations have documented extensive environmental damage since the conflict began, including oil refinery fires, deforestation, pollution from industrial sites, and water hazards.

Fuel systems are a major threat in war because they rely on flammable fuels and chemicals. When oil storage facilities, refineries or pipelines are struck, they ignite fires that release toxic gases, carcinogenic particles and their residues, which pollute the surrounding soil and water for years.

Conflict also destroys control. When governance collapses, environmental regulations and corporate accountability often falter, leaving communities living in the shadow of fossil fuels to bear the brunt of pollution and health harm long after the headlines are gone.

For example, the maintenance of oil pipelines has always been difficult in the unstable security zones of Yemen and Sudan, leading to the contamination of water and fields. In Yemen, years of conflict have left the FSO Safer tank without repair, threatening to cause the world’s largest oil spill before an emergency replacement operation in 2023.

Climate change adds to the damage. The military is also responsible for about 5.5 percent of global warming by 2022, largely due to the burning of fossil fuels. Yet military emissions are not included in the global climate calculations – a long-standing omission by the United States. As the world’s military spending increases, so does its incalculable carbon footprint.

Conflicts cause more environmental damage than energy. When electricity fails and fuel is scarce, families often turn to charcoal and firewood, leading to deforestation in fragile areas. Researchers who track conflict zones have found that deforestation often increases where governance is weakened and alternative sources of fuel disappear.

Sudan has seen this around Khartoum and other urban areas, with significant loss of trees since the war began in 2023 – tree cover that performs important ecological functions, including retaining water.

War is more dangerous than burning oil. The bombardment destroys buildings, streets and shops, releasing dust containing silica, heavy metals, and other toxins into the air. These particles can damage the lungs and worsen chronic respiratory disease. Rebuilding destroyed cities adds another climate challenge: Cement and steel production are some of the world’s most carbon-intensive industries, meaning that rebuilding often releases more carbon that is trapped in concrete and new construction.

Renewable energies may be damaged in the conflict, but their natural environment is very different. A damaged solar installation doesn’t dump water into rivers, and a damaged wind turbine doesn’t light a refinery or release benzene toxins into the neighborhood.

This is important when countries are rebuilding. Energy systems built around oil storage, gas transportation and oil hubs remain vulnerable to pollution and global price shocks as conflicts threaten key supply routes such as the Strait of Hormuz. Expanded redistributive grids cannot eliminate the dangers of war, but they can reduce the toxic effects and subsequent global economic shocks.

Wars will continue to destroy infrastructure. Whether they leave behind decades of damage depends on the type of electricity that is rebuilt after the war ends.

The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect Al Jazeera’s influence.