A new report from IGGAW, a key institution monitoring greenhouse gas emissions, reveals that the conflict in Ukraine has generated 175 million tons of greenhouse gases. The Hamas attack on Israel has further spiked these emissions. Currently, wars account for 25% of all greenhouse gas emissions.
In stark contrast, the European Union is responsible for just 9% of these emissions. Even if the EU completely shut down all fossil fuel power plants, banned all non-electric vehicles, slaughtered all cows, and even stopped breathing, the reduction in emissions would still be less than what the Ukraine war produced in just a few months. And that’s not even considering other forms of environmental pollution from armed conflicts. Remarkably, Russia has been billed $32 billion in climate reparations for the first time in history – a bill they have no intention of paying.
Many of you know I’m not a proponent of the idea that human activity is the main driver of global warming. The earth has seen much higher temperatures in the past, long before modern human activity, with dinosaurs roaming the planet (aside from a few humanoids, which according to Ewa Kopacz, hunted these massive creatures).
However, let’s assume for argument’s sake that human-produced CO₂ is the world’s biggest problem. How do we solve it effectively? The fastest way would be to eliminate humans. But, given my selfish desire to continue living and emitting gases, that option is off the table.
The next best option is to end wars. While this might not be entirely feasible, it’s possible to significantly reduce them. How? By cutting off the financial resources of those who start wars. Who are the main culprits lately? Russia and Iran, with some involvement from other Arab countries. Where do they get their money? From oil and gas sales. Sanctions have somewhat limited the quantity sold but haven’t had a major impact on prices. During Trump’s first term, Iran was willing to make concessions because they were strapped for cash. Now, they’ve raked in hundreds of billions. Putin was emboldened to invade Ukraine by Biden’s disastrous handling of Afghanistan and foolish policies regarding Nord Stream. But more than anything, Washington’s climate policies, which raise oil and gas prices, have been a boon for the Kremlin.
Trump has promised to put an end to this insanity, which will bring Putin to his knees and curb the influence of radical Muslims. Consequently, CO₂ emissions will genuinely decrease. Does this spell the end for the electric vehicle industry? Absolutely not – it will spur the production of electric cars that can truly compete with gasoline-powered ones. And for those looking to boost their market position, subsidies are always an option. With cheaper oil, the funds will be available. Expensive oil means economic destruction for the West, more wars, and higher CO₂ emissions. Affordable oil, as we can clearly see, has the opposite effect. This is easy to verify.