Briefing: Accounting for the uncounted: The global climate impact of militaries
Download as PDF · Published: November, 2025 · Categories: Publications, Military emissions
About this policy briefing
The world’s governments coordinate global climate action through the UNFCCC. But there is a missing piece: militaries do not have to report their emissions, leaving a huge blind spot in global climate action. As escalating military spending threatens global climate targets, the War on Climate’s second briefing outlines what the UNFCCC can do to address the global climate impact of militaries.
Recommendations
1. Include military emissions in global carbon accounting
The UNFCCC should implement, as a matter of urgency, mandatory military emissions reporting within National Inventory Reports, based on updated IPCC guidance for National Inventory Reports, which covers the full scope of military activity, including emissions from warfighting where relevant.
2. Commit to reducing military emissions
Governments should commit to ambitious and comprehensive military emissions reduction strategies in line with the Paris Agreement. These should be included within Nationally Determined Contributions to increase accountability.
3. Make strengthening defence compatible with climate action, diplomacy and peacebuilding
The global trend of diverting climate funds to facilitate rising military budgets should end. Instead, government budgets and international relations should focus on genuine human security, funding climate action, diplomacy, peacebuilding and conflict prevention.
