War and Environment: Effects, Current Situation, Areas of Debate, and Potential Solutions

This article discusses the effects of war on the environment, the current situation, areas of debate, and potential solutions. It highlights the need for urgent initiatives to protect the environment in the context of armed conflict.

Running head: WAR AND ENVIRONMENT
WAR AND ENVIRONMENT
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Background of Issue:
War not only harms the lives of the human beings but also cause the damage of their
homes as well as the atmosphere they live. These conflicts among the nations leads to
extensive destruction as well as degradation of the environment and persists even after the
conflicts end. Despite the fact that the idea of prevention of the environment from the ill
effect of the wars or any internal conflicts was not a new one rather it has been taking place
from the ancient times. These unitive included the maintenance of fresh water for human
survival and land for agriculture1. Unfortunately, this idea of protecting the environment has
been revitalised again as the technological developments in the weapons after 1900s have
resulted in the unprecedented effects and threats to the environment. In addition to this
conventional methods of warfare, the environmental damage has been resulted by several
tests as well as the increasing usage of nuclear weapons. The effects of these war remains
visible in the human body as well as the nature near the war fields.
More than 30% international conflicts are linked with the exploitation of the natural
resources like oil, timber, diamonds, fertile land and most recently water. These conflicts
involving natural resources have also been affecting the environment in return which has led
to origin of 65 million refugees in this world, many will have a story that includes ecocide.
This s the reason why the United Nations have realised the importance of environmental
protection that has been taking a more protruding role in the initiative to response to the
conflicts. Therefore, The International Day for Preventing the Exploitation of the Environment
in War and Armed Conflict has aimed to highpoint the continuing military operation focussing
them in the urgent need of the humanitarian aid as well as protection2. Thus, the awareness
about the war and its effect has been growing from various point of views such as
environmental, legal, military and most importantly humanitarian.
1 Icrc.org. 2018. "International Law Protecting The Environment During Armed Conflict: Gaps
And Opportunities". International Committee Of The Red Cross.
https://www.icrc.org/en/international-review/article/international-law-protecting-environment-
during-armed-conflict-gaps-and
2 Iucn.org. 2018. "Armed Conflict And The Environment". IUCN.
https://www.iucn.org/commissions/world-commission-environmental-law/our-work/specialist-
groups/armed-conflict-and-environment

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Current Situation
The environmental issues emerging from the warfare has imposed a responsibility on
the United Nations and its different wings. The UN Under-Secretary-General for
Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator has added the initiative for
protecting the environment at the time of conflicts as well as its aftermath is quite critical for
protecting the human health. This needs the proper collaboration of the communities with all
their abilities and the nations to convalesce after these crises. The international communities
are working for producing some stronger yet legal frameworks for protecting this planet.
This is the reason why all the 193 member countries of the United Nations Environment
Assembly had adopted a resolution for protecting the environment especially in the areas
which were affected by the armed clashes3. In addition to this, International Law
Commission, wing of the United Nations, the experts of the UN General Assembly and
leaders in the international law have initiated to develop the guidance on the processes
through international and national laws, the community can guard the environment not only
during the conflict but before as well as after these armed conflicts.
According to the recent reports and news, the first part of this initiative to protect the
environment from war, the vital activity of the UN was, contacting and collaboration with
International Law Commission (ILC) which was dealing with this topic. This very preparation
of this subject selected by ILC indicated a wide-ranging approach to this particular subject.
This not only covers the rule of behaviour that is appropriate as well as applicable during the
armed conflicts, but also those rules which were applicable before as well as after various
armed conflicts. With the change of the approaches, the environmental specified grownup or
SG also changed its work patterns4. This had led to the definite overlaps with the works of
the sub-groups with the SG, which led to the fruitful cross-fertilization. The SG considered
itself as the friendly yet critical companion to the works of the International Law Commission.
As mentioned before, during 2014, 2015 and 2016, the Special Rapporteur of this topic had
submitted three consecutive reports. This ultimately led, in the year 2016, to provisional
adoption of the set of the Draft Principles of the Commission5. In the World Environmental
3 Worldwatch.org. 2018. "War And The Environment | Worldwatch Institute".
Worldwatch.Org. http://www.worldwatch.org/node/5520.
4 Hynes, H. Patricia. "The invisible tragedy of war: Women and the environment." In Global
Health and Security, pp. 13-27. Routledge, 2018.
5 Michael, J., L. J. Holly, J. Aaron, P. Daniel, and J. Steven. "effects of modern war and
military activities on biodiversity and the environment." Environmental reviews (2015).

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Law Congress in Rio de Janeiro both Michael Bothe as well as Carl Bruch, the co-chairmen
addressed the specific issues associated with this subject mainly its association with the
Sustainable Development Goals ascribed by Michael Bothe and the issues of Water Security
by Carl Bruch.
Areas of Debate:
This topic of security of the environment during the time of armed conflict has govern
a chance to the government of various states to showcase and promote their views in this
particular topic. This debate has identified various issues at different point of time especially
after the International Law Commission had passed the legal initiatives to protect the
environment from war effects. There was an unscientific cross section of the opinions of the
member countries in the UN6. In 2011, ILC had launched a five years’ study on this topic
appointing special rapporteur which served as the guiding of working of the UN but this
report following ILC’s process was not being commenced with new conventions or treaties
but focussed on the delicate proposal of the new guidelines. This was also avoided conflict
regarding these weapons and their impacts on the environment. Therefore, the members
had not felt happy regarding the historical as well as political connection between the nuclear
weapons and the protection of the environment of the earth. Based on this views, the
members had shown different perspectives. Some took the side of progressives and some
became conservatives. These conservatives especially UK and us rejected any changes in
the Laws of Armed Conflicts7. These members had doubted the feasibility and utility of the
procedure itself and rejected all-inclusive legal approaches which would manage the
environmental laws. Human rights more precisely the refugee and indigenous rights to form
a new standard. They have opposed the amalgamation of the legal regimes and question
whether the key principles as well as norms from the Environmental Law for example the
6 Weber, Fieke. "Sanction busters in the post-Cold War environment: Did the the post-Cold
War environment change the incentives for sanctions busters, and does a change in
incentives affect the chances of success or failure of economic sanctions?." Bachelor's
thesis, 2016.
7 Worldlii.org. 2018. "Protection Of The Environment During Armed Conflicts : A Case Study
Of Kosovo - [2001] ISILYBIHRL 13". Worldlii.Org.
http://www.worldlii.org/int/journals/ISILYBIHRL/2001/13.html.

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Precautionary align with Polluter Pays doctrines have become routine8. They also
questioned whether all these are at all relevant to this topic of protecting the environment
from the effects of war.
The progressives have welcomes the process as an urgent and call for the
consideration of applicability as well as relevance of the parallel legal commands have
govern both the environmental protection and the human rights. They argue that the armed
conflict need to be largely defined and concept of sustainable development is greatly
relevant to this project9. They advocated to consider the non-international armed conflicts
long with non-state performers in this scope. They observed that the environmental
provisions if the IHL were regularly violated and suggested an argument on the post-conflict
environmental assistance thus reparations.
Past Actions
From 1970’s Vietnam War to 1990’s the Iraq-Kuwait war, the awareness of
environmental risk as well as damage had grown slowly but surely10. With the advancements
of the warfare technology, modern international environmental law has been passed,
particularly through the Stockholm Declaration which focused on the Protection of the
Environment. It also included the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment in
the year 197211. These conference led to the formation of the United Nations Environment
Programme. The environmental concern was also raised after the 1972’s Stockholm
Declaration. These were reflected in the two significant legal documents. These two were
8 Bajad, Ganesh, Rajat Jain, Warun Harhare, and Suryasarathi Bose. "Synthesis of fuel oil
and carbon nanotubes in an autoclave using plastic waste as precursor." Materials and
Manufacturing Processes 32, no. 5 (2017): 495-500.
9 Braun, Sebastian, and Nadja Dwenger. The local environment shapes refugee integration:
Evidence from post-war Germany. No. 10-2017. Hohenheim Discussion Papers in Business,
Economics and Social Sciences, 2017.
10 Karlsrud, John. "The UN at war: examining the consequences of peace-enforcement
mandates for the UN peacekeeping operations in the CAR, the DRC and Mali." Third World
Quarterly 36, no. 1 (2015): 40-54.
11 Lawrence, Michael J., Holly LJ Stemberger, Aaron J. Zolderdo, Daniel P. Struthers, and
Steven J. Cooke. "The effects of modern war and military activities on biodiversity and the
environment." Environmental Reviews 23, no. 4 (2015): 443-460.

5WAR AND ENVIRONMENT
the Convention on Prohibition of Military or Any Other Hostile Use of Environmental
Modification Techniques (ENMOD, 1976) another was the First Additional Protocol to the
Geneva Conventions (1977)12. The attempts to further initiatives to codify as well as
strengthen the shielding the environment during various armed conflict were again made in
the result of more dangerous Iraq-Kuwait war that took place in the 1990s. The United
Nations General Assembly had discussed this particular matter and
required resolutions were adopted but these attempts failed to reach new legally binding
protection measure.
In the year 2009, the UN Environment, ICRC and Environmental Law Institute had
made the first wide-ranging analyses of the methods and many different parts that ILC could
guard the environment during the armed conflict. Their analysis not only examined the
international humanitarian law, but also the human rights law, the environmental law and the
international criminal law. Among the commendations in 2009’s UN Environment reports, the
UN International Law Commission was suggested to scrutinize the current international laws
for the protection of the environment during as well as after the armed conflicts then suggest
how the steps can be elucidated, codified as well as expanded13. Due to the facts that the
recommendations came from the other UN entity, ILC examined them carefully and
consequently considered them appropriate to be placed on the long-term program of the
works in 2011. In 2013, the topic “Protection of the environment in relation to armed
conflicts” was again placed on current program of work of the UN. This time the situation had
become more critical as the nuclear threats were also included. The first challenge at that
time was to deal with such complex topic. Therefore, the Commission had decided to
structure three temporal phases to examine the legal rules was applied before as well as
after the armed conflict.
The principles included the needs for the post-conflict environmental evaluations
along with some remedial measures, proper sharing as well as granting of the needed
access to the information14. These commission also addressed the environmental influence
12 Informea.org. 2018. "Protection Of The Environment In Areas Affected By Armed Conflict |
Informea". Informea.Org. https://www.informea.org/en/decision/protection-environment-
areas-affected-armed-conflict
13 Managhan, Tina. "We all dreamed it: the politics of knowing and un-knowing the “war on
terror”." Critical Studies on Terrorism 10, no. 1 (2017): 22-43.
14 Johnson, Ralph Jay. "A literature review of medical aspects of post-cold war UN
peacekeeping operations: trends, lessons learnt, courses of action and

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of the numerous peace operations and also the vitality to address the matters connecting to
restoration as well as the protection of the environment damages by the harmful armed
conflict in the peace processes. The needs for removing or rendering the harmless toxics as
well as hazardous remnants of the wars on land and seas are recognized15. This is because
the important roles of relevant international organizations in protecting the nature from the
harmful chemicals and nuclear radiation.
Potential Solutions
The environment is an important tool for the building of sustainable peace as well as
respect for the human rights. The fore it is needed that the initiatives to protect the
environment in the context of the armed conflict become more urgent. The probable
solutions of this issue can only be focussed on the incised campaigns for the peaceful
reconciliation among the super powers of the world. The problems harming the interest of
the countries and resulting in war must be stopped. The UN needs to incurs proteas to make
the members understand the importance of environmental issues which affect the land, air
and water of the earth. The initiatives must be taken to save issues rear doing nuclear war.
More laws need to be passed to prevent the toasting of nuclear power in the natural habitats.
The pollution of land, water and air due to constant military practices to marinating status
among the nations should be limited. Finally, the restoration programs to save the
environment of the places already affected war zones must be increased.
Questions a Resolution Must Answer
In order to protect the environment from the harmful impact of the war the UN has
initiated various resolutions so that this can be prevented and the earth can be built as a
sustainable place for living. The questions that the resolution must cover are-
 What is actually meant by the protection of environment?
 What are the most affected areas that the wars affect the environment?
recommendations." Journal of the Royal Army Medical Corps 162, no. 4 (2016): 250-255.
15 Soltani, Rasool, and Maryam Moradi. "The Evolution of the Concept of International Peace
and Security in light of UN Security Council Practice (End of the Cold War-Until Now)." Open
Journal of Political Science 7, no. 01 (2016): 133.

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 Does the resolution have identified any dimension for the protection?
 What are the dimensions that the resolution wants to cover?
 Does the protecting initiative have any cultural influence?
 Does the resolution only cover the traditional war aspects or t also include the
chemical, biological and nuclear war?
 How does the resolution focus on the war refugees living on the natural habitations?

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Bibliography
Bajad, Ganesh, Rajat Jain, Warun Harhare, and Suryasarathi Bose. "Synthesis of fuel oil
and carbon nanotubes in an autoclave using plastic waste as precursor." Materials and
Manufacturing Processes 32, no. 5 (2017): 495-500.
Braun, Sebastian, and Nadja Dwenger. The local environment shapes refugee integration:
Evidence from post-war Germany. No. 10-2017. Hohenheim Discussion Papers in Business,
Economics and Social Sciences, 2017.
Hynes, H. Patricia. "The invisible tragedy of war: Women and the environment." In Global
Health and Security, pp. 13-27. Routledge, 2018.
Icrc.org. 2018. "International Law Protecting The Environment During Armed Conflict: Gaps
And Opportunities". International Committee Of The Red Cross.
https://www.icrc.org/en/international-review/article/international-law-protecting-environment-
during-armed-conflict-gaps-and
Informea.org. 2018. "Protection Of The Environment In Areas Affected By Armed Conflict |
Informea". Informea.Org. https://www.informea.org/en/decision/protection-environment-
areas-affected-armed-conflict
Iucn.org. 2018. "Armed Conflict And The Environment". IUCN.
https://www.iucn.org/commissions/world-commission-environmental-law/our-work/specialist-
groups/armed-conflict-and-environment
Johnson, Ralph Jay. "A literature review of medical aspects of post-cold war UN
peacekeeping operations: trends, lessons learnt, courses of action and
recommendations." Journal of the Royal Army Medical Corps 162, no. 4 (2016): 250-255.
Karlsrud, John. "The UN at war: examining the consequences of peace-enforcement
mandates for the UN peacekeeping operations in the CAR, the DRC and Mali." Third World
Quarterly 36, no. 1 (2015): 40-54.
Lawrence, Michael J., Holly LJ Stemberger, Aaron J. Zolderdo, Daniel P. Struthers, and
Steven J. Cooke. "The effects of modern war and military activities on biodiversity and the
environment." Environmental Reviews 23, no. 4 (2015): 443-460.
Managhan, Tina. "We all dreamed it: the politics of knowing and un-knowing the “war on
terror”." Critical Studies on Terrorism 10, no. 1 (2017): 22-43.

9WAR AND ENVIRONMENT
Michael, J., L. J. Holly, J. Aaron, P. Daniel, and J. Steven. "effects of modern war and
military activities on biodiversity and the environment." Environmental reviews (2015).
Soltani, Rasool, and Maryam Moradi. "The Evolution of the Concept of International Peace
and Security in light of UN Security Council Practice (End of the Cold War-Until Now)." Open
Journal of Political Science 7, no. 01 (2016): 133.
Weber, Fieke. "Sanction busters in the post-Cold War environment: Did the the post-Cold
War environment change the incentives for sanctions busters, and does a change in
incentives affect the chances of success or failure of economic sanctions?." Bachelor's
thesis, 2016.
Worldlii.org. 2018. "Protection Of The Environment During Armed Conflicts : A Case Study
Of Kosovo - [2001] ISILYBIHRL 13". Worldlii.Org.
http://www.worldlii.org/int/journals/ISILYBIHRL/2001/13.html.
Worldwatch.org. 2018. "War And The Environment | Worldwatch Institute". Worldwatch.Org.
http://www.worldwatch.org/node/5520

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