Introduction: The already increased greenhouse gas emissions are growing, beyond the factors of climate change and military operations, leading to harmful environmental implications, before, during, and after armed conflicts, that both need detailed assessment.
Methods: Defining the context of «carbon footprint», «greenhouse gas emissions», and «methane emissions», the popular 5.5% footprint of the largest carbon polluter, the military, emerges. Based on analytical tables with emissions sources and their CO2e/Mt percentage, the four categories of pollutant emissions (scopes 1, 2, 3, and 3 plus) are also identified.
Simultaneously, the regulatory framework regarding environmental protection against military emissions is investigated holistically, at international (humanitarian, environmental, and criminal), European, and jurisprudencial levels.
Despite the increased amount of emissions, which is growing, «additional» emissions (front line) and massive military expenses are exacerbating this amount. However, states' non-accountability or double reporting, given contemporary examples of warring countries (Russia, Ukraine, Georgia), causes data gaps and uncertain evaluations of emissions' accounting, for which three key calculation methods are used.
Observing the devastating repercussions of armed conflicts on the quality of air, soil and water, and the aquifer horizon, with climate change on top, three possible climate scenarios arise and viable solutions have to be sought to align with essential guidelines (e.g., 1.5 oC goal—Paris Agreement).
Results: Identifying the deep sources—causes of the issue—through terms analysis and emissions accounting; assessing the quantity of military pollutant emissions based on poor data to observe, perceive, and combat the caused environmental side-effects.
Conclusions: In a nutshell, the military contributes noticeably to the global increase in GHG emissions. Despite the obstacle of the voluntary nature of states' emissions reporting, data collection is truly substantial in accurately assessing the environmental effects of armed conflicts and in urgently managing them, adapting with global climate commitments.
