Join Our Call for Action:
Tell NATO to Address Climate Change
The Conflict and Environment Observatory
NATO has pledged to cut its carbon emissions but is refusing to share how it will count them. Will your organisation join us in calling for NATO to make its methodology public, and for NATO member states to commit to military emissions reductions that are consistent with the Paris Agreement?
Today, we’re launching a joint call to tell NATO — count your emissions, cut your emissions! Add your organisation’s name today.
In June, NATO announced plans for the organisation to reduce its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and to work towards Net Zero by 2050.
NATO’s GHG emissions will be tracked and monitored using an unpublished methodology, developed by NATO. According to NATO Secretary General Jen Stoltenberg: “It sets out what to count and how to count it, and it will be made available to all Allies to help them reduce their own military emissions.”
But since this methodology is not publicly available we have no way of knowing what they will measure, or how they plan to achieve Net Zero.
According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), we need deep and immediate cuts in emissions across all sectors to limit warming to 1.5°C. We don’t have time for empty promises.
Join Us in Telling NATO: Count Them, Cut Them!
Count Them:
- NATO:Make your GHG emissions tracking methodology public so that independent experts can assess its credibility.
- NATO members:Commit to counting emissions using theGHG Protocol and independent verification, and reporting them in a way that is robust, comparable and transparent.
Cut Them:
NATO as an institution is not the main source of NATO’s emissions. The vast majority come from the militaries of NATO’s members and June 2022’s announcement did not cover their emissions.
- NATO members:Commit to verifiable military GHG emission reduction targets that are consistent with the 1.5oC target in the Paris Agreement.
If your organisation supports this call, please sign up using the form below. Together we can ensure that NATO and its members get the message before COP27 in November.
NATO Chief on Global Climate Change
Why Does This Matter?
Countries are still excused from comprehensively reporting their military emissions to the UNFCCC. As a result, the sector is lagging behind. Some militaries are starting to set Net Zero targets, like the US Army and the UK RAF, but without accessible data and with no means to track their progress, these targets risk being little more than military grade greenwashing.
Proposed scopes of military greenhouse gas emissions (militaryemissions.org)
This year, we released our Framework for Reporting Military Emissions. It outlines the emissions that we think militaries should be reporting. The framework considers the large and complex supply chains that militaries have, as well as the emissions caused by armed conflicts. Meaningful global action to reduce emissions demands that we can track and understand the contribution that militarism and conflicts are making to the climate crisis.
NATO and its members have an opportunity to demonstrate leadership on tackling climate change. The refusal to publish their methodology for counting emissions sets a dangerous international precedent.
What Can I Do?
Organizations
If your organisation is concerned about the current pace of action to address the climate crisis, please sign our call on NATO to make its methodology public using the form above.
Share this call on social media to encourage others to sign up using our downloadable social media pack.
Individuals
As an individual, you can also share this call on social media using our downloadable social media pack and write to your local politician to highlight this issue. You can use our guide here.
Resources
Download our Frequently Asked Questions on military emissions and NATO climate policy.
