Rebuilding what 'Israel' destroyed in Gaza comes at hefty env. price

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: The Guardian
6 Jun 2024 19:56
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Reconstructing structures damaged in the first four months of the Israeli onslaught will create roughly 60 million tons of CO2 equivalent according to a new study.

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Palestinians look at the destruction after an Israeli airstrike in Khan Younis, Gaza Strip, Monday, June 3, 2024. (AP)

The carbon cost of reconstructing Gaza will be higher than the yearly greenhouse gas emissions generated individually by 135 nations, compounding the global climate disaster and adding to the enormous death toll, a recent analysis revealed

UK and US researchers found that rebuilding nearly 200,000 dwellings, schools, hospitals, mosques, bakeries, and water and sewage plants damaged by "Israel" in the first 4 months of the war on Gaza will generate up to 60 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent (tCO2e), on par with the 2022 emissions of Sweden and Portugal.

Israeli bombing has left around 26 million tons of wreckage and rubble behind, which might take years to clean up. In May, the UN assistant secretary-general and director of the UN Development Program’s (UNDP) regional office for the Arab states, Abdallah al-Dardari, stated that the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip could take 80 years and $40 billion.

According to the Social Science Research Network results:

Israeli attacks in the first 120 days of war exceeded the annual carbon footprint of 26 of the world's most climate-vulnerable nations, including Vanuatu and Greenland.
More than 99% of the estimated 652,552 metric tons of carbon dioxide (CO2 equivalent/CO2e) produced in the first four months following the war are directly caused by aerial assault and a ground invasion of Gaza.
Almost 30% of all CO2e emissions were caused by the 244 American cargo planes that flew bombs, weapons, and other military supplies to "Israel" during the first 120 days.
The first 120 days of war are estimated to be comparable to the total annual energy use of 77,200 American families.

The research, shared exclusively with The Guardian, presents a conservative estimate of the climatic cost of the war on Gaza, in addition to unparalleled fatalities, famine as a way of punishment, infrastructure destruction, and environmental disaster.

The research also highlighted the asymmetry of the emissions caused by the Palestinian Resistance operation when compared with those of the Israeli occupation, detailing that the combined carbon footprint of Hamas over the first 120 days was comparable to the yearly energy consumption of only 454 American households.

Emissions from aid trucks generated nearly 9,000 tons of CO2e. An extra 58,000 CO2e emissions came from diesel-powered generators, which are currently used to generate energy in Gaza after "Israel" demolished solar panels, which were responsible for nearly 25% of Gaza's power, and a power plant.

Zena Agha, policy analyst at al-Shabaka, the Palestinian Policy Network, blasted the West for its double standards regarding climate change and the "responsibility of every nation to protect the planet - all the while funding, aiding and enabling the Israeli regime’s catastrophic war and its implications for those affected by ongoing and future climate change."

Hadeel Ikhmais, head of the climate change office at the Palestinian Environmental Quality Authority, expressed that "as long as this war continues, the implications will be exacerbated with horrific consequences on emissions, climate change, and hindering climate action in Gaza."

Military emissions remain opaque and seldom accounted for, and only 4 nations provide partial data to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

A recent analysis discovered that military actions account for over 5.5% of global greenhouse gas emissions each year, more than the aviation and shipping sectors combined, and more than every country save the United States, China, and India.

The study puts "Israel's" baseline 2023 military carbon footprint at 3.85m tCO2e without accounting for war, i.e. 5% of its yearly emissions and almost double the Bahamas' total CO2e emissions in 2022.

The Israeli so-called "iron wall", which stretches 65 kilometers (40.4 miles) along the majority of the settlements' border with Gaza and includes surveillance cameras, subterranean sensors, razor wire, a 20-foot-high metal fence, and huge concrete obstacles, emitted almost 312,387 tCO2e. This is more than Tonga, a South Pacific archipelago facing an existential danger from rising sea levels.

The analysis excludes pre-7 October emissions from Israeli tanks, vehicles, and occupation troops constantly in motion, as well as the energy needed to receive billions in weapons, fuel, and other military equipment.

‘Ecocide in Gaza’: Another war crime

Due to the scale and potential long-term impact of the damage caused by "Israel" in Gaza, there are calls for it to be classified as “ecocide” and investigated as a potential war crime, The Guardian reported on March 29.

Satellite imagery, along with photos and video footage captured on the ground, vividly depict the devastation inflicted on Gaza's farmland, orchards, and olive groves during the war.

He Yin, an assistant professor of geography at Kent State University in the US, analyzed satellite imagery. The analysis revealed that up to 48% of Gaza's tree cover had been lost or damaged between October 7 and March 21.

In further detail, Forensic Architecture (FA), an independent research group based in London, conducted its own satellite analysis, yielding similar findings.

Prior to October 7, farms and orchards encompassed approximately 170 square kilometers (65 square miles), representing 47% of Gaza's total land area. By the end of February, FA estimates based on satellite data indicated that Israeli military operations had destroyed over 65 square kilometers, equivalent to 38% of that land.

In addition to cultivated areas, Gaza's agricultural infrastructure included more than 7,500 greenhouses, which played a crucial role in the region's economy. FA's analysis suggested that nearly a third of these greenhouses have been destroyed, with destruction ranging from up to 90% in northern Gaza to approximately 40% around Khan Younis, as of March 21.

'Israel' commits genocide, environmental crimes, uproots 55,000 trees

On March 1, the local municipality of the al-Zaytoun neighborhood, east of Gaza City, witnessed extensive environmental damage caused by the Israeli occupation state, with approximately 55,000 trees uprooted and nine public parks, including a zoo, destroyed.

At the time, the local council has called on international environmental organizations and concerned bodies to swiftly intervene, urging them to condemn the occupation's environmental crimes, assist in the reconstruction of damaged facilities, protect trees and wildlife, and provide essential resources like food and water.