Recently, the goal of environmental education has relied on data transmission. The assumption was, unfortunately, naive: if we presented the public with precise scientific metrics—parts per million of atmospheric carbon, melting glacial volumes—systemic change would naturally follow.
This assumption has been proven wrong. Data alone never change societies. When we are bombarded with apocalyptic numbers without clear suggestions for action, the result is profound ecological anxiety, and an urge to close our open browser tabs, feign ignorance on the subject and let the future sort itself out.
Climate change can also be understood as a consequence of institutional and governance failures. For systemic change to happen, we wish to redirect people’s view on more important polluting sources, connected with geopolitical systems that hold the key of the future of the planet.
For example, we can build the public narrative around three of the world’s less-known but among most crucial emission drivers: military operations, tropical deforestation, and intensive livestock farming. Each of these sectors might contribute up to 20% of global greenhouse gas emissions.
Pillar 1: Creative Communication — Visualizing the Hidden Drivers of Climate Change
Everybody tells us to take care of our personal footprints. Yes, less people travelling by air equals less emissions but on the other hand, global military operations, intensive livestock farming, and tropical deforestation operate under a shroud of structural opacity and institutional secrecy.
During peacetime, military account for a very conservative estimate of at least 5.5% of annual global greenhouse gas emissions. If the global military sector was one country, it would have a carbon footprint larger than almost every country on Earth. Despite this, military emissions remain exempt from mandatory reporting under international frameworks like the Paris Agreement.
Furthermore, the true carbon footprint of wars is much worse when factoring in life cycle impacts. Notably, at the virtual conference The War on Climate in 2025 organised by the Global Institute for Tomorrow, Dr. Soroush Abolfathi from the University of Warwick estimated that actual conflict emissions from wars might contribute even up to 20% of all global greenhouse gas emissions.
By utilising advanced data visualisation, interactive digital media, and compelling, transparent storytelling, we can transform cold, statistics into clear, actionable public knowledge.
Pillar 2: Structural Transition Into Sustainable Future
Sustainability cannot be just a consumer choice; it must be the driving force that turns passive citizens into active advocates for institutional change. True sustainability requires us to look at where our global wealth is directed and realign it.
Data from the Initiative on GHG Accounting of War reveals that the war in Ukraine generated an astounding 311 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalent in its first four years alone. Similarly, the war in Palestine generated over 33 million tonnes of CO₂equivalent in its first 15 months, while just the first two weeks of the war on Iran emitted more than 5 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalent —a figure that surpasses Iceland’s entire annual carbon output.
We can look to Iceland as a powerful philosophical blueprint. The most peaceful nation in the world on the Global Peace Index, Iceland has no standing military. Iceland has been able to concentrate its resources into social infrastructure, green geothermal energy transitions, and world-class climate innovation. It turns out that when you aren’t spending your GDP on tanks, you can afford to run your country on renewable energy. It is an evidence that peace is not just morally right; it’s also cost-effective.
In their 2025 data briefs on Greenhouse Gases from Intensive Animal Agriculture, FAIRR policy analysts write that “overall, animal agriculture is responsible for up to 19.6% of global GHG emissions.” Encouraging the public to eat less meat—specifically carbon-intensive beef and lamb—is the most efficient strategy we have to curb emissions and restore biodiversity.
For an example of this transition, we can look to India, the most vegetarian country in the world, where up to 39% of the population follows a plant-based diet. India proves that highly populated societies can successfully thrive and cook delicious food on plant-focused food systems without breaking the carbon budget. However, India is also one of the most polluting countries in the world in terms of air pollution so it should invest in air cleaning practices.
Pillar 3: Global Equity — A Climate Movement Open to All
The final pillar is global equity based on inclusiveness which ensures that climate action unites diverse communities to tackle global challenges. True climate justice recognizes that the nations and communities least responsible for global emissions are the ones bearing the worst of the ecological consequences.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in its Sixth Assessment Report (2022/2023) reports that up to 20% of global greenhouse gas emissions originate directly from tropical deforestation and land-use change. This destruction is primarily driven by corporate clearing for timber, soy, and cattle pasture.
Forests under indigenous stewardship (https://greensagaproject.eu/lets-support-indigenous-led-solutions/ ) experience dramatically lower rates of destruction and carbon loss. Legally recognizing land rights and securing indigenous-led forest management is, from a purely economic standpoint, the most cost-effective method of carbon sequestration. Listening to the people who have successfully managed the land for millennia is much better than hiring an expensive corporate consulting firm.
The landmark EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) places a ban on importing timber, palm oil, soy, cattle, coffee, and cocoa into the EU unless companies are able to provide verified geo-location data proving their products did not originate from deforested land. This policy is meant to utilize the economic leverage of the Global North to protect the ecological integrity of the Global South.
When we demand a shift toward climate change funding, when we seek diplomatic resolutions to active wars, when we legally empower indigenous land defenders, and when we normalize sustainable food systems, we provide a highly achievable alternative to despair.
References:
Neimark Benjamin et al: Israel-Gaza conflict carbon emissions exceed 30 million tons, March 20, 2026. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590332226000497
Brack Duncan: How the EUDR is already driving forest governance reform, April 2026, https://www.forest-trends.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/How-the-EUDR-Is-Already-Driving-Forest-Governance-Reform-From-Market-Signal-to-Systemic-Impact.pdf
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change: Climate Change 2023, https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/syr/downloads/report/IPCC_AR6_SYR_FullVolume.pdf
Mridul Anay: These are the top countries for plant-based eating, according to the Vegan Society, January 6, 2026, https://www.greenqueen.com.hk/veganism-around-the-world-the-vegan-society-report-friendly-countries/
FAIRR: Greenhouse gases from intensive animal agriculture, September 15, 2025, https://www.fairr.org/resources/knowledge-hub/greenhouse-gases
De Klerk Lennard et al.;Climate damage caused by Russia’s War in Ukraine, February 23, 2026, https://en.ecoaction.org.ua/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Climate-Damage-Caused-by-War-48-months_ENs.pdf
Lakhani Nina: Carbon footprint of Israel’s war on Gaza exceeds that of many entire countries, May 30, 2025, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/may/30/carbon-footprint-of-israels-war-on-gaza-exceeds-that-of-many-entire-countries
Gayle Damien: 5m tonnes of Co2 emitted in just 14 days of US war on Iran, analysis finds, March 21, 2026, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/mar/21/middle-east-iran-conflict-environment-climate
Ragoobur Doorgha et al: From conflict to climate crisis: how wars shape the future environment, May 20, 2026, https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0301479726011527
Chandran Nair: Carbon bootprints: How war is fuelling climate catastrophe, August 28, 2025, https://www.clubofrome.org/blog-post/nair-carbon-bootprints-war-climate/