Clearing Gaza rubble could yield 90,000 tonnes of planet-heating emissions
Palestinians struggle to survive in makeshift tents among the housing and buildings in the Sheikh Ridvan neighborhood of Gaza City destroyed by Israeli attacks last month. The debris in Gaza conceals thousands of unidentified human remains, toxins such as asbestos, and unexploded ordnance. Photo: Mahmoud Issa/Anadolu via Getty Images
Millions of tonnes of rubble left by Israel’s bombardment of Gaza could generate more than 90,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions – and take as long as four decades to remove and process, a study has found.
Israel’s destruction of Palestinian homes, schools and hospitals in Gaza generated at least 39 million tonnes of concrete debris between October 2023 and December 2024, which will require at least 2.1 million dump trucks driving 29.5 million kilometres to transport to disposal sites, researchers said.
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