The unpublicized victim of war

“Though mankind has always counted its war casualties in terms of dead and wounded soldiers and civilians, destroyed cities and livelihoods, the environment has often remained the unpublicized victim of war.”  –United Nations

Tuesday November 6 is International Day for Preventing the Exploitation of the Environment in War and Armed Conflict. First designated by the U.N. General Assembly in 2001, this day each year offers an opportunity to consider the many ways in which war and the environment are inextricably intertwined:

  • Armed conflict, as well as weapons production and testing, lead to environmental pollution and other forms of ecological devastation.
  • Wartime tactics include deliberately targeting ecosystems (e.g., draining marshland or burning cropland) to inflict pain on the opposition and gain military advantage.
  • Military use of fossil fuels is a prime contributor to climate change.
  • Conflicts over natural resources (e.g., oil, water and minerals) are leading causes of war.
  • Profits from the exploitation of natural resources are used to fund armed conflicts.
  • Prevention of war requires protection and stewardship of environmental resources.

Engaging Peace has explored many of these issues in previous posts:

  • The U.S. war in Iraq has left a trail of environmental devastation and adverse health impacts for survivors.  (For example, see post on Fallujah.)
  • The U.S. military is the single biggest contributor to global warming pollution. (See 2011 Earth Day post).
  • Resource extraction in the Democratic Republic of the Congo fuels rebellion and relies on child labor.
  • Nuclear war has the potential to annihilate entire populations of people and wildlife, poisoning their ecosystems for generations.
  • Efforts to unite the peace and environmental movements recognize that preventing war helps to preserve the environment–and vice versa.

A healthy ecosystem and access to natural resources are necessities for a peaceful world. Likewise, eliminating war would significantly impact the health of the planet.

How might your own peace activism embrace the goals of environmental activism?

Dr. Pat Daniel, Managing Editor of Engaging Peace