Two Years of Genocide in Gaza: A Climate Justice Crisis

It’s hard to believe that two years have already passed since the start of the genocide in Gaza. In that time, it has been painful to watch, to advocate, to educate, and even to simply exist as a human being while knowing that world “leaders” are ignoring calls to protect Palestinians. They have failed the people of Gaza.

I am not an expert in Palestinian-Israeli history or politics, but I can discuss the genocide from a lens I’m far more comfortable with: climate justice. In this post, I will explore how the genocide is also a climate issue. I’ll do this in three parts: first, I’ll examine how environmental destruction in Gaza is ecocide; next, I’ll assess the carbon footprint of the conflict; and finally, I’ll link the genocide to human rights and climate vulnerability.

Environmental Destruction and Ecocide

The environmental damage in Gaza is both extreme and accelerating. According to a recent UNEP report, Gaza has lost 97% of its tree crops, 95% of shrublands, and 82% of its annual crops (UNEP, 2025). This makes large-scale food production virtually impossible.

According to the same assessment, around 78% of Gaza’s estimated 250,000 buildings have been damaged or destroyed. That destruction has generated 61 million tonnes of debris, or roughly the volume. That’s about the same weight as 500 CN Towers worth of rubble (or 15 Great Pyramids of Giza, or 25 Eiffel Towers). About 15% of that debris could be contaminated with asbestos, heavy metals, or industrial hazardous waste, if not safely handled (UNEP, 2025).

Gaza’s water and soil systems have also suffered significant damage. Soil has been compacted by heavy machinery. Water absorption and ground water recharge are failing, which increases runoff and creates a flood risk. But it doesn’t end there! Sewage and wastewater systems have collapsed, as well. All five of Gaza’s wastewater treatment plants have shut down, contaminating beaches, coastal waters, freshwater, and soil with things like pathogens, microplastics, and hazardous chemicals (UNEP, 2025).

The combination of collapsed water systems, pollution, and destroyed vegetation is not only damaging, but qualifies as ecocide. When trees, soil, water systems, and ecosystems that sustain life are systematically destroyed, the environmental harm becomes central to the genocide, not a side effect.

The Carbon Footprint of Gaza’s Genocide

The genocide in Gaza is carbon-intensive, but its emissions are rarely highlighted. A peer-reviewed study by Queen Mary University of London, Lancaster University and others found that direct conflict emissions in Gaza already exceed what 36 nations or territories emit each year. Direct war-related activities alone are estimated at 1.9 million tonnes CO₂ equivalent (tCO₂e). When you include pre-war fortifications and projected reconstruction, that number climbs to over 32 million tCO₂e (DowntoEarth, 2025).

Other analyses corroborate the scale of emissions. The Guardian reported that over the first 15 months of the genocide, the climate cost of destroying, clearing and rebuilding could cost around 31 million tCO₂e (The Guardian, 2024, 2025). To put this into perspective, Canada’s annual emissions in 2023 were 694 million tCO₂e (Environment and Climate Change Canada, 2025). This means the first 15 months of the genocide equated to 4.5% of Canada’s emissions . This may not seem like much, but when you realize that Gaza is the size of 42 Kentvilles or a quarter of Kings County, that’s pretty significant! For reference, Kings County is about 0.015% of Canada, if we’re talking land mass.

Furthermore, the destruction of solar power systems and electrical infrastructure has forced Gaza to rely on diesel generators, which emit more carbon and contribute to both climate warming and public health risks (Euronews, 2024). These combined impacts illustrate that the genocide in Gaza is not only a humanitarian emergency, but also a climate crisis with global repercussions.

Human Rights and Climate Vulnerability

On September 16, 2025, the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory officially concluded that Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. The Commission found that Israeli forces committed four of the five genocidal acts under the 1948 Genocide Convention. These include: killing, causing bodily or mental harm, deliberately inflicting conditions of life calculated to bring about destruction in part, and imposing measures intended to prevent births (UN, 2025).

The humanitarian crisis has produced catastrophic levels of food insecurity and malnutrition. Over 640,000 people in Gaza are living in famine conditions. An additional 1.14 million Gazans are reported to be facing emergency food insecurity (WHO EMRO, 2025). Acute malnutrition among children has reached alarming levels. More than 12,000 children have been identified as acutely malnourished in the month of July, alone. This is a six-fold increase since the start of 2025. Nearly one in four children are suffering from severe acute malnutrition. (WHO EMRO, 2025). Acute malnutrition occurs when a child rapidly loses weight due to insufficient food intake or illness. This condition significantly weakens the immune system, increasing the risk of severe infections and death. Children with acute malnutrition often appear very thin, with visible bones and a lack of muscle mass. It is a medical emergency that requires immediate treatment to prevent life-threatening complications (World Health Organization, 2023).

This crisis is worsened by the destruction to infrastrcutre. Human Rights Watch documented that Israeli forces deliberately damaged or destroyed at least four of Gaza’s six wastewater treatment plants and water reservoirs. This includes preventing repairs and cutting electricity and access to fuel needed to operate these water systems (HRW, 2024). Collapsed sanitation and health systems, combined with restricted access to food, water, medical aid, and agricultural support, have pushed populations toward starvation (WHO EMRO, 2025). Systematic attacks on food and water access constitute genocidal acts under international law (UN, 2025).

And if all of that isn’t bad enough, as of late 2024, approximately 42,000 Palestinians have died. Additionally, nearly 100,000 people have been injured, and over 1.9 million have been displaced. Destruction to housing has resulted in a loss of approximately 70,000 homes (WHO EMRO, 2025; UNEP, 2025).

What this Means and Why it Matters

The intentional infliction of these conditions amplifies our collective vulnerability to climate change, as populations lacking food, water, shelter and health infrastructure are far less resilient to extreme weather events and environmental shocks. The scale of environmental distruction in Gaza is such that recovery will require far more than rebuilding: decades of soil, water, and ecosystem damage will shapethe health, livelihoods and climate resilience of future generations.

The carbon emissions generated by the conflict - whether from direct combat, reconstruction, or lost clean energy systems - have a measurable global impact. They contribute to climate warming, feedback loops, and make the world as a while less liveable (DowntoEarth, 2025; The Guardian, 2024).

The UN’s recognition of genocide underscores that environmental destruction, denial of water, sanitation, food and shelter are not accidental - they are deliberate strategies of destruction (UN, 2025). This convergence of ecological, climate and humanitarian crises highlights the inseparability of human rights and climate justice.

Conclusion

Two years in, the genocide in Gaza is not only a crime against humanity - it is a catastrophic crisis for both people and the environment. Every destroyed water plant, every field reduced to rubble, every contaminated aquifer, and every diesel generator burning because solar panels are gone represents more than immediate human suffering. It worsens the climate and ecological crisis. Millions of people are displaced, hungry, thirsty, and exposed to heat, disease, and environmental hazards. The destruction of ecosystems and infrastructure today will share the health, livelihoods, and climate resilience of future generations.

This is a stark reminder that climate justice cannot exist without human justice. The scale of destruction in Gaza shows that environmental harm , carbon emissions, and human suffering are inseparable. Protecting life in Gaza - and across Palestine - means protecting the land, water, and ecosystems that sustain it.

Ending violence is only the first step. Real justice must include repairing and regenerating the systems that sustain life, ensuring access to clean water, food, shelter , and energy. It must also address the environmental impacts caused by the genocide. How the global community responds - and notably our world “leaders” - will define whether climate justice is truly universal - or whether it remains an ideal that protects some lives while ignoring others.

References

DowntoEarth. (2025, June 4). War on the climate: Emissions from conflict in Gaza already higher than what 36 countries emit in a year. https://www.downtoearth.org.in/climate-change/war-warming-emissions-from-conflict-in-gaza-already-higher-than-what-36-countries-emit-in-a-year

Environment and Climate Change Canada. (2025, March 21). Greenhouse gas emissions. Government of Canada. https://www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change/services/environmental-indicators/greenhouse-gas-emissions.html

Euronews. (2024, January 9). Emissions from Israel’s war in Gaza have ‘immense’ effect on climate catastrophe. https://www.euronews.com/2024/01/09/emissions-gaza-israel-hamas-war-climate-change

Human Rights Watch (HRW). (2024, December 19). Extermination and acts of genocide: Israel deliberately depriving Palestinians in Gaza of water. https://www.hrw.org/report/2024/12/19/extermination-and-acts-genocide/israel-deliberately-depriving-palestinians-gaza

The Guardian. (2024, May 30). Carbon footprint of Israel's war on Gaza exceeds that of many entire countries. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/may/30/carbon-footprint-of-israels-war-on-gaza-exceeds-that-of-many-entire-countries

The Guardian. (2025, July 22). Clearing Gaza rubble could yield 90,000 tonnes of planet-heating emissions. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jul/22/gaza-rubble-environment-emissions-impact

United Nations (UN). (2025, September 16). Israel has committed genocide in the Gaza Strip, UN Commission finds. https://www.un.org/unispal/document/israel-has-committed-genocide-in-the-gaza-strip-un-commission-finds-16sep25/

UNEP. (2025, September 23). Environmental impact of the escalation of conflict in the Gaza Strip. https://www.unep.org/resources/report/environmental-impact-escalation-conflict-gaza-strip

WHO EMRO. (2025, August 22). Famine confirmed for first time in Gaza. https://www.emro.who.int/media/news/famine-confirmed-for-first-time-in-gaza.html

WHO EMRO. (2025, August 22). Food insecurity, starvation and malnutrition in the Gaza Strip. https://www.emro.who.int/emhj-volume-31-2025/volume-31-issue-4/food-insecurity-starvation-and-malnutrition-in-the-gaza-strip.html

World Health Organization. (2023). Severe acute malnutrition: Recognition and management. https://www.who.int/tools/elena/interventions/sam-identification-inpatient