Who gains from saving nature
Ledger 1 : 33 — For each dollar financing nature-based solutions in 2023, about $33 financed activities harmful to nature. (UNEP)
Cases / Law, regulation and treaties · United States · 2022–2031

US PACT Act: $281.5bn for veterans exposed to burn pits, none for Iraqi civilians

Short record: the main facts, with sources. A full case file has not been prepared.

Nature's voice · report
No measurement of the harm done to me here is on record.
Did nature suffer? Not measured.
What the record lacks: 3 none on record · 1 not measured · 1 unclear See the gaps

The Congressional Budget Office estimated that the US PACT Act would cost about $281.5 billion through 2031 for veterans exposed to burn pit smoke. The sources reviewed report no compensation mechanism for Iraqi civilians exposed to the same smoke.

What?
The US PACT Act provides for veterans exposed to burn pit smoke, with a CBO cost estimate of about $281.5 billion through 2031. Military.com
Where?
Iraq (burn pit smoke); United States (veterans' compensation) Al Jazeera
When?
CBO cost horizon to 2031; Military.com article December 2021; Al Jazeera opinion August 2022 Military.com
Who?
Gained
  • US veterans exposed to burn pit smoke — Eligible under the PACT Act; about 2 million approved claims (GAO-25-107401, February 2025)
Lost
  • US taxpayers — Fund the PACT Act cost estimated by CBO at about $281.5 billion through 2031 Military.com
Harmed
  • Iraqi civilians exposed to burn pit smoke — No compensation mechanism for the same exposure, per Al Jazeera (2022) Al Jazeera
Why?
Not stated in the sources reviewed.
How?
Benefits set by Congress; rules by the Department of Veterans Affairs. No equivalent for Iraqi civilians is described.
6 of 6 questions answered from the record

What happened

The record, in order.

Military.com reported a Congressional Budget Office estimate of about $281.5 billion through 2031 for the PACT Act's veterans programme.

Al Jazeera's 2022 opinion piece argued that the US must compensate burn pit victims in Iraq too.

A GAO report (GAO-25-107401, February 2025) cited about 2 million approved veterans' claims; the sources reviewed report no compensation for Iraqi civilians exposed to the same smoke.

    In court and with insurers

    Every proceeding and every insurer decision on record.

    Lawsuits and rulings

    No court case on record. No court has ruled on this case.

    Insurers

    No insurer decision on record.

    What we don't know

    Undisclosed, unproven, untried: recorded as data.

    Nature

    • Not measured Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.

    Record

    • None on record The GAO-25-107401 report (February 2025) has no URL in the sources reviewed; its figures are not linked to a source.
    • None on record The number of Iraqi or Afghan civilians exposed to burn pit smoke is not stated.
    • None on record The amount paid to date under the PACT Act is not stated; the figure is a cost estimate.
    • Unclear Whether a compensation scheme for Iraqi civilians has been proposed or set up is not stated beyond the 2022 opinion piece.

    Did the harm stop?

    Not stated in the sources reviewed.

    Who paid?

    Not stated in the sources reviewed.

    Sources

    Voices on record: — Company or project— Government and regulators— Courts✓ Press and investigations— Communities and civil society— Researchers

    Press and investigations

    1. CBO cost estimate (Military.com)
      Military.com · 2021-12-07

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