Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, August 24, 2026: Mission impossible? Quantifying military emissions
Posted: 25th August 2026
Read a shareable version of this newsletter in your browser.
August 24, 2026
US Navy Grumman F-14A Tomcat flying over a Kuwaiti oil well set ablaze by Iraqi troops during the 1991 Gulf War. (Lt. Steve Gozzo, US Navy)
svXXjGI3GdD58rz_DMgOmdAKIhiQFfx2UwX5fKMnmi5I362NxMUuVyPaCVkN9zluegoeHF”>
The Pentagon argued that even a 10 percent reduction in fuel use would harm military readiness and “represent a serious threat to national security.”
To forestall this, the Pentagon suggested draft language for the Kyoto treaty proposing that parties “shall exclude from its measurement of anthropogenic emissions by sources any emissions attributable to military tactical or strategic systems used for military operations in support of national or collective security, humanitarian activities, peacekeeping, peace enforcement, or United Nations, NATO, and other multinational actions.” The Pentagon also proposed excluding measurement of any “emissions attributable to military tactical or strategic systems used in training” for those operations.
The Defense Department also asserted that “to minimize fundamental conflicts between national security and global environmental protection, the Protocol itself must address military operations and readiness so that the [sic] we can pursue and enjoy the fruits of national security as well as the benefits of a healthy planet.”
The White House agreed, and the United States successfully lobbied to exempt most military emissions from countries’ annual National Inventory Reports of greenhouse gas emissions.
svXXjGI3GdD58rz_DMgOmdAKIhiQFfx2UwX5fKMnmi5I362NxMUuVzPaCVkN9zluegoeHF”>
Neta C. Crawford
Crawford is Professor of International Relations at University of St. Andrews. Prior to that she was the Montague Burton Professor of International Relations at Oxford University, and Professor and Chair of the Department of Political Science at Boston University.
Her books include The Pentagon, Climate Change and War: Charting the Rise and Fall of U.S. Military Emissions, Winner of the American Book Award, 2023 and the Grawemeyer Award, 2024.
Upcoming event
svXXjGI3GdD58rz_DMgOmdAKIhiQFfx2UwX5fKMnmi5I362NxMUuZrPaCVkN9zluegoeHF”>Read more.svXXjGI3GdD58rz_DMgOmdAKIhiQFfx2UwX5fKMnmi5I362NxMUuZsPaCVkN9zluegoeHF”> Read more.
IN THE NEWS
CIA
Without CIA funding that helped keep NeXT afloat in the ’80s, Steve Jobs might not have made a triumphant return to Apple—and the iPhone might not have its foundational operating code. Sharon Weinberger, the Bulletin’s new editor-in-chief, writes for the Wall Street Journal. svXXjGI3GdD58rz_DMgOmdAKIhiQFfx2UwX5fKMnmi5I362NxMUuNzPaCVkN9zluegoeHF”>The Bulletin is hiring
The Bulletin is searching for an Advancement Services Coordinator, as well as two new Bulletin editorial fellows, to cover the areas of biosecurity and disruptive technologies/AI. svXXjGI3GdD58rz_DMgOmdAKIhiQFfx2UwX5fKMnmi5I362NxMUuJzPaCVkN9zluegoeHF”>The defense revolving-door, Silicon Valley edition
Annual US defense expenditures now approach $1 trillion—and could head toward $1.5 trillion in the coming fiscal year. How did we get here? One factor is the stream of national service officials who take positions at private military contractors and lobbying firms, writes John Mecklin, the Bulletin’s outgoing editor-in-chief, in his last article in this position.
A new interactive tool from the Bulletin illustrates one piece of the defense revolving door as it has evolved over the last decade: former congressional officials that have wound up working not just at the largest defense contractors, but also for a new class of Silicon Valley firms that has aggressively expanded its Pentagon contracting efforts. svXXjGI3GdD58rz_DMgOmdAKIhiQFfx2UwX5fKMnmi5I362NxMUuN0PaCVkN9zluegoeHF”>A blind spot in climate models: Slower tree growth in a warming world
Your gift fuels our mission to educate and empower. Together we will work to ensure science serves humanity.