Wars Destroy the Planet, Humanity Loses
Prof. Engr. Zamir Ahmed Awan,
Humankind depends entirely on nature for survival. The Sun provides energy, plants provide food and oxygen, rivers and glaciers provide water, and forests, oceans and animals sustain ecological balance and human societies. Yet, despite benefiting from this interconnected natural system, humanity is increasingly becoming its own greatest threat. War, pollution, deforestation, uncontrolled industrialisation, excessive consumption and fossil-fuel dependence are damaging the environment and undermining the foundations of human life. Greed, hatred and the pursuit of power often take priority over peace and preservation, producing polluted air, contaminated water, climate disasters, displacement and conflict.
The renewed Iran–United States conflict is no longer confined to military bases, missile sites or naval positions. As fighting expands, power networks, ports, oil facilities, bridges, hospitals, water systems and other infrastructure essential to civilian life face increasing danger. Every additional strike raises the possibility that a regional confrontation will become not only a humanitarian and economic catastrophe, but also an environmental one.
The human cost is already devastating. United Nations and WHO reporting on the 2026 escalation has documented thousands of deaths and injuries, mass displacement, attacks on healthcare, and extensive damage to hospitals and other essential infrastructure. Earlier UN assessments recorded more than 1,200 deaths, over 17,000 injuries and damage to more than 54,000 civilian units during the initial phase of the conflict. WHO has also reported damage to hundreds of healthcare facilities and emergency bases.
But the environment is becoming a largely overlooked casualty of war.
Bombs do not disappear when they explode. They generate smoke, fine particles, toxic chemicals and heavy-metal contamination. Fires at oil depots, refineries, ships and industrial facilities can pollute air, soil and water. UNEP has warned that the current Middle East conflict is already producing hazardous smoke, oil pollution and risks to marine ecosystems, food chains and groundwater. Strikes on desalination plants are particularly dangerous in one of the world’s most water-stressed regions.
This is not an isolated phenomenon. Iraq’s wars left contaminated land, damaged ecosystems and pollution hotspots requiring generations of remediation. The UN has documented the environmental consequences of oil fires, destroyed infrastructure, hazardous munitions and toxic substances. Warfare also releases greenhouse gases through military fuel consumption, fires, destruction and reconstruction. Research has consistently shown that militarisation can increase emissions and divert resources from the clean-energy transition.
The modern history of warfare should therefore make humanity uncomfortable. Afghanistan saw the combat use of the 21,000-pound “Mother of All Bombs”, the largest non-nuclear bomb ever used in combat. Iraq, Libya, Syria and other countries have experienced years of airstrikes, explosives and military operations. The recent European Heatwaves, Wildfires are the phenomenon of climate change and the impact is very adverse and severe.
A 2026 analysis estimated that the first two weeks of the Iran conflict generated more than five million tonnes of CO₂-equivalent emissions through military operations, destruction and oil fires. The figure illustrates a broader contradiction: governments speak of climate emergency while expending enormous quantities of fuel and explosives in wars that destroy the very systems societies need to become resilient.
Europe is already experiencing the consequences of a warming planet. In July 2026, wildfires in France and Spain forced more than 250,000 people from their homes; France experienced record-scale destruction, while Spain reported more than 130,000 hectares burned during the year. Europe’s climate is warming rapidly, and heatwaves, drought and fire weather are becoming more dangerous.
Man is increasingly becoming the enemy of humankind—not because human beings are inherently destructive, but because political ambition, greed and militarised competition repeatedly place power above life. We poison rivers, destroy forests, burn oil, flatten cities and then ask why nature is becoming more hostile.
The answer must be diplomacy. The United States and Iran need an immediate, reciprocal and verifiable ceasefire. Hospitals, water infrastructure, power stations, nuclear facilities and major environmental assets must be protected. Regional states—including Pakistan, Oman, Qatar, Türkiye and Egypt—should strengthen mediation channels, while the United Nations and independent scientific bodies should document environmental damage and support future accountability and restoration.
The international community must also reject the endless war. Whether in Iran, Palestine, Lebanon, Sudan, Ukraine or elsewhere, military escalation creates no durable security. It leaves graves, displacement, pollution, debt and hatred.
The planet cannot afford another generation of wars fought as if nature were an infinite resource and civilians, were acceptable collateral. The most important weapon humanity can deploy now is diplomacy. The Iran–US war, and all wars, must end before the damage becomes irreversible. All peace-loving nations and individuals must raise your voice and end all hostilities immediately. Respect Humanity! Save Human lives!
Prof. Engr. Zamir Ahmed Awan,
Sinologist – Diplomat – Advisor – Consultant,
Founding Chair, Global Silk Route research Alliance.
(E-mail: awanzamir@yahoo.com)