Greening Defence

The Greening Defence programme explores the ways in which the UK military and its partners are attempting to confront the challenges and security risks presented by a changing climate.




A pair of dolphins swim next to the Royal Navy's newest patrol ship, HMS Tamar while she was at anchor in Weymouth Bay. Photo: HMS Tamar/Twitter


‘Defence’ comprises both the armed forces and their activities, as well as the department of state which governs them, together with the supply base for these institutions.

The defence supply base, which produces goods and services for the military, recognises the need to reduce and minimise the carbon footprint associated with its activities. The use of the equipment and services coming from that supply base also has its own carbon footprint, not least for the power generation associated with military platforms.

The UK Ministry of Defence’s Climate Change and Sustainability Strategic Approach outlines an ambitious vision as to how Defence will achieve national environmental targets, and many related commercial enterprises have started to implement appropriate measures and continue to search for new ways to reduce emissions to meet national Net Zero Strategy requirements.

A pair of dolphins swim next to the Royal Navy's newest patrol ship, HMS Tamar while she was at anchor in Weymouth Bay. Photo: HMS Tamar/Twitter

Podcast series


The Greening Defence podcast series will launch on 11 August.

Latest publications

View all publications