The College of Law at the University of Mosul discussed on Thursday, 24 September 2026, the master’s thesis entitled “International Responsibility Arising from the Carbon Footprint of Armed Conflicts,” submitted by the student Muhammad Abdul-Karim Ahmad, under the supervision of Professor Dr. Abdul-Aziz Ramadan Ali.

The thesis addressed the concept of the carbon footprint arising from armed conflicts, its scientific and technical dimensions, and its legal characterization within the framework of public international law, in addition to examining the phenomenon of the military gap resulting from the exemption of defense sectors and combat activities from certain reporting and transparency obligations in climate agreements, along with a review of the methodologies adopted in measuring military emissions, including emissions from direct combat operations, the targeting of carbon sinks, and the footprint of post-conflict reconstruction deferred to a later stage.

The thesis likewise examined the foundations for establishing the international responsibility of States for climate-related damage, whether responsibility arising from wrongful acts as a result of the breach of the principles of international humanitarian law, or strict liability based on risk for lawful acts in times of peace, in addition to the mechanisms for reparation of environmental damage and compensation, and the effectiveness of international and national judicial and quasi-judicial mechanisms in holding States and entities responsible for environmental and climate damage accountable.

The study aimed to frame the military carbon footprint and characterize it legally, to analyze the impact of combat operations upon the depletion of carbon sinks and the exacerbation of global warming, in addition to establishing the legal pillars of State responsibility for transboundary emissions and climate damage in times of peace and war, and to elucidate the foundations necessary for the granting of equitable financial and environmental compensation for present and future generations.

The discussion committee was composed of Professor Dr. Raqeeb Muhammad Jasim as Chairman, Professor Dr. Khansaa Muhammad Jasim as Member, Assistant Professor Dr. Fathi Muhammad Fathi as Member, and Professor Dr. Abdul-Aziz Ramadan Ali as Member and Supervisor, all of them specializing in public international law.

This study comes within the framework of attention to contemporary legal topics related to the protection of the environment and the global climate system, and the challenges that the effects of armed conflicts impose upon the development of the rules of international responsibility and the mechanisms for reparation of environmental damage.