A new report says the world’s richest countries are spending 30 times more on military might than on tackling the climate crisis. The report found that the most polluting countries spent $9.45 trillion on their militaries between 2013 and 2021, compared with an estimated $243.9 billion in funding for the world’s most vulnerable countries.

“Military spending and arms sales have a profound and lasting impact on the ability to deal with the climate crisis,” he wrote to the Amsterdam-based TNI Transnational Institute, citing a 21.3% increase in military spending since 2013.

The report’s authors concluded that funding the military harms the environment and depletes resources to deal with the climate crisis. “Every dollar spent on the military not only increases greenhouse gas emissions, but also diverts financial resources, skills and attention away from one of the greatest existential threats humanity has ever faced,” said the research team.

The biggest military spenders, including the UK, US and France, also contribute significantly to most greenhouse gases.

How will the war in Ukraine affect the climate crisis?

The institute found that after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, military spending increased dramatically, resulting in more greenhouse gas emissions.

Germany announced an additional $104 billion, around €100 billion, in weapons spending, while Norway’s government suspended climate funding in June as the war in Ukraine raged on.

The institute published its research to coincide with the start of the COP27 conference in the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, a country “more famous for its military spending than its climate action”, the think tank reported.

The group said that between 2017 and 2021, Egypt was among the top five importers of arms, mainly from Russia, France and Italy.

“Amidst the climate crisis and signs of a dangerous tipping point on the planet, it is imperative to prioritize climate action and international cooperation to protect those most affected,” says the institute’s report.

And it looks like 2022 will witness an arms race, with the worsening climate crisis proving difficult to resolve.