As misguided as his declaration that the U.S. will “take over” Gaza was, President Donald Trump did get at least one thing right: cleaning up and rebuilding the territory will be an immense project, lasting decades and costing at least $53 billion, according to the United Nations.
It will also be expensive for the climate. Since the war between Hamas and Israel started on Oct. 7, 2023, more than 60 percent of the buildings in Gaza have been destroyed, along with 65 percent of the territory’s roads and 85 percent of its water desalination and sewage treatment plants. Removing the debris and rebuilding the damaged infrastructure will release about 53.4 million metric tons of greenhouse gases, according to an estimate published by Queen Mary University of London in June. That is roughly 15 times what the Palestinian territories emit in a year and on par with the annual emissions of Portugal—and that is not counting all the additional destruction caused since June.
While negotiators argue over who will pay for Gaza’s reconstruction, one thing is clear: The world will pay the bill for those carbon emissions—in rising sea levels, increased heat and extreme weather events caused by climate change.
