[Annie Cabeckstany, longtime member of XRPDX, delivered this speech at a Palestine Solidarity/Abolish ICE rally in downtown Portland on July 4, 2026.]
There is so much evil and trauma around the genocide in Palestine; I don’t want to minimize the pain and suffering that is happening at so many levels, to so many people, both in Palestine and in the diaspora. AND I also want to draw attention to another horrible impact of Israel’s war.
As the Palestinian people are being killed and maimed, tortured and left homeless, the Israeli army is also devastating the land, from the river to the sea. Their rockets and bombs are not just destroying infrastructure and olive groves, but also contributing to global climate change.
War is hell on the climate, thanks to the fossil fuel that powers most military activities. Exhaust from airplanes, tanks and trucks creates carbon dioxide (CO2), a greenhouse gas that significantly contributes to global warming. Emissions generated by making and exploding bombs also create CO2.
[Annie speaking from the stage at Schrunk Plaza.]
Bombs and rockets impact the climate in other ways too. They destroy crops and make fertile land unusable. When crops and trees are destroyed, not only is valuable food lost, and the livelihoods of Palestinians ruined, but a critical carbon sink is also lost. Trees and crops play a significant role in capturing and storing carbon dioxide, which lessens global warming. Heavy military equipment adds to the damage by compacting the soil, which reduces the soil’s ability to absorb water, increasing flood risks and reducing groundwater recharge.
Even once the killing stops, which unfortunately doesn’t seem to be anytime soon, the climate damage will continue or even get worse. Rebuilding Gaza’s more than 100,000 damaged buildings and homes will also generate huge amounts of greenhouse gases. For example, for every ton of cement produced, about a ton of CO2 is emitted — and Gaza will need a LOT of cement. An immense amount of energy will be required to manufacture, transport, and assemble the building materials needed to replace all those buildings and homes that have been lost. And the process will take decades.
This cycle of destruction and reconstruction perpetuates not only human suffering but also the degradation of the environment. As David Boyd of the UN said, “Armed conflict pushes humanity even closer to the precipice of climate catastrophe and is an idiotic way to spend our shrinking carbon budget.”
Unfortunately, Palestine was already facing climate change challenges, due to sea level rise, drought and extreme heat, which threatened water supplies and food security. Add to that the food and water shortages caused by Israel, and this could mean devastating health implications for decades to come, in addition to the climate impacts already noted above.
The US is very much implicated in the climate damage caused by the military, and not just for supporting Israel. The US has the biggest army in the world and is constantly moving supplies and people (including US cargo planes flying military supplies to Israel), and this movement creates huge amounts of CO2. The US also discourages countries from reporting military emissions, which, even in peacetime, are significant. Wars and battles (like the Gaza Genocide or the Iran War) create huge spikes in those emissions, worsening the problem.
Israel’s genocide in Gaza is more than a humanitarian disaster. It is an environmental catastrophe that fuels the global climate crisis. Please, for the sake of Palestinians today and tomorrow, and for the sake of our planet, call and write your congresspeople and demand an end to the United State’s support for Netanyahu. Senator Wyden, in particular, needs to hear from you. The number for the Capitol switchboard is (202) 224-3121. When you call, ask your congresspeople to work to remove Section 219 from the 2027 National Defense Authorization Act. Section 219 would establish a “United States-Israel Defense Technology Cooperation Initiative” within the Department of Defense. This would be an unprecedented escalation of foreign involvement in our military, and would strengthen the bonds between the US and Israel just when we should be breaking all ties with this genocidal government. Please call (202) 224-3121: Remove section 219. Free Palestine!
[Photo at top of banner on World on Fire Truck. Both photos by Janet Weil.]
