Overview
- Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian told the COP31 climate conference that Iran wants compensation for environmental damage from US and Israeli strikes and urged a link between peacetime climate commitments and wartime responsibility.
- Current international climate agreements provide large funds for adaptation and loss-and-damage but do not include rules to address environmental harm caused by military strikes.
- The wider conflict has involved repeated attacks on energy infrastructure and shipping that have produced substantial oil leaks and other local environmental damage.
- No new global mechanism was announced at COP31 and experts say documenting and attributing wartime environmental harm will face both technical challenges and political resistance from states involved.
- A separate scientific consortium report says global fossil-fuel emissions are set to fall slightly this year, a change tied in part to higher fuel prices and faster renewable deployment after the conflict, which could shift markets and energy planning.