United Nations warns
War in Gaza puts strain on the environment and the global climate
Explosion behind green bushes: The war in Gaza also caused massive damage to nature
© Uncredited / Israeli Defense Forces / AP / DPA
Environmental damage is rarely taken into account in military conflicts. This has changed since the war in Ukraine.
According to the United Nations, the war in the Gaza Strip, which has been ongoing since October, has not only caused great devastation, but has also led to massive Environmental damage has resulted. The pollution of soil, water and air has exceeded all previously known levels, according to a UN report published on Tuesday. The sewage systems have been destroyed and the five sewage treatment plants in the Gaza Strip have been shut down. “All of this is damaging people’s health, food security and the ability to survive in the Gaza Strip,” said the Executive Director of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), Inger Andersen.
According to UNEP findings, progress in seawater desalination and wastewater treatment has been undone. A UN investigation in 2020 had already revealed serious deficiencies in water quality. Even then, 92 percent of the water in the Gaza Strip was unsuitable for human use.
War in Gaza also the global climate
According to the study, soil and environment are also affected by the rubble left by air raids and artillery and rocket fire. According to the study, there are around 39 million tons of rubble in the Gaza Strip. Each square meter of the Gaza Strip is covered with over 107 kilograms of rubble.
Environmental hazards also arise from destroyed solar panels. Before the war, the Gaza Strip had one of the highest densities of rooftop solar panels in the world. The shattered solar panels can now release lead and toxic heavy metals into the soil.
The effects of the war are not only felt locally, but also affect the global climate through greenhouse gas emissions, said Eoghan Darbyshire, a researcher at the British organization Conflict and Environment Observatory. In view of the destruction, “I am of the opinion that large parts of the Gaza Strip cannot be rehabilitated within a generation, even with unlimited financial resources and great will,” said the expert.