Scientists for Future Austria
by Martin Auer
According to estimates by the Conflict and Environment Observatory, the EU's annual military emissions (as of 2019) are 24,83 million tonnes of CO2e1.EU military spending was EUR 2019 billion in 186, which is 1,4% of total EU economic output (GDP)2.
So EUR 10.000 of military spending in Europe generates 1,3 tons of CO2e.
If Austria cuts its military spending, as Nehammer demanded in March3to 1% of GDP, i.e. from EUR 2,7 to 4,4 billion, this means an increase in military emissions of 226.100 tons. That would be an increase in total Austrian emissions (2021: 78,4 million t CO2e4) by at least 0,3%. But it also means that these EUR 1,7 billion are missing for other purposes such as education, the health system or pensions.
But it's not just about the Austrian military emissions. A neutral country like Austria should buck the global trend towards rearmament and set an example. It can do that above all as a member of the European Union. If the EU countries, as NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg demands5, increase their military spending from the current 1,4% of GDP to 2% of GDP, i.e. by a third, then military emissions can be expected to increase by 10,6 million tons of CO2e.
Stuart Parkinson of Scientists for Global Responsibility estimates the military's share of global greenhouse gas emissions at 5%, rising to 6% in years of major wars6.That alone shows how important global disarmament is for sustainable life on earth. Because apart from the emissions that damage the climate, militaries consume large amounts of human and material resources that are lacking for constructive purposes, and in the event of war they cause very immediate death, destruction and pollution of the environment. And there are fears that the current trend towards upgrading will severely hamper efforts to reduce global emissions.
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Cover photo: Armed Forces, via Flickr, CC BY-NC-SA
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1https://ceobs.org/the-eu-military-sectors-carbon-footprint/
2https://eda.europa.eu/news-and-events/news/2021/01/28/european-defence-spending-hit-new-high-in-2019
3https://www.derstandard.at/story/2000133851911/nehammer-will-verteidigungsausgaben-auf-ein-prozent-des-bip-steigern
4https://wegccloud.uni-graz.at/s/65GyKoKtq3zeRea
5https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2022/07/20/how-european-countries-stand-on-2-of-gdp-defence-spending
6https://www.sgr.org.uk/resources/carbon-boot-print-military-0
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