The report identifies several sources of these emissions: billions of liters of fuel burned in combat vehicles, nearly 1 million hectares of burned fields and forests, hundreds of destroyed oil and gas tanks, and massive amounts of steel and cement used to fortify hundreds of kilometers of front lines.
The estimated 175 million tons of CO2 emissions is equivalent to the annual emissions of 90 million cars or the entire country of the Netherlands.
"The total climate damage caused by the Russian Federation during the 24 months of war amounts to more than USD 32 billion," the report states.
Combat operations alone are responsible for 51.6 million tons of CO2 emissions, with 35.2 million tons attributed to fuel burning by Russian forces and 9.4 million tons by Ukrainian forces.
The war has also significantly increased the frequency of forest and field fires, with 27,000 fires releasing 23 million tons of CO2 into the atmosphere.
Furthermore, the report highlights that the closure of airspace over Ukraine and parts of Russia, along with the avoidance of Russian airspace by some airlines, has resulted in an additional 24 million tons of CO2 emissions. This is due to longer flight routes between Europe and Asia.
According to 2022 estimates by experts, the armed forces of various countries are among the largest consumers of fuel, accounting for 5.5 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions.
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Source: PAP