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War and the Environment: International Law and the Protection of the Environment in Relation to Armed Conflict – Introduction to the Special Issue

War and the Environment: International Law and the Protection of the Environment in Relation to... Truth may be the first casualty of warfare, but the environment is not far behind. Since time immemorial the environment has been a silent victim of warfare. From salting the enemy’s land, to poisoning water sources, to scorched earth policies, the environment has historically been both target and weapon. It has suffered both deliberate and incidental damage and it has suffered not only during but also in preparation for, and in the aftermath of, armed conflict. Technological developments since the 19th century have only exacerbated the potential for and reality of environment damage associated with armed conflict. Chemical defoliants such as Agent Orange, depleted uranium munitions, chemical and nuclear weapons have all caused significant environmental harms. Conventional weapons, too, have caused environmental damage through, for example, the release of toxic chemical contamination or oil spills from bombed industrial sites, and the deliberate or accidental burning of oil wells. Landmines have rendered vast areas, including agriculturally productive areas, unusable, while intentional modification of the environment through, for example, causing floods or drought has been used as a direct weapon of war. More recently the environment has been implicated as an ‘accessory’ in the conduct of armed conflict with ‘conflict http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Nordic Journal of International Law Brill

War and the Environment: International Law and the Protection of the Environment in Relation to Armed Conflict – Introduction to the Special Issue

Nordic Journal of International Law , Volume 82 (1): 1 – Jan 1, 2013

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Publisher
Brill
Copyright
© 2013 by Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, The Netherlands
Subject
Editorial
ISSN
0902-7351
eISSN
1571-8107
DOI
10.1163/15718107-08201001
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

Truth may be the first casualty of warfare, but the environment is not far behind. Since time immemorial the environment has been a silent victim of warfare. From salting the enemy’s land, to poisoning water sources, to scorched earth policies, the environment has historically been both target and weapon. It has suffered both deliberate and incidental damage and it has suffered not only during but also in preparation for, and in the aftermath of, armed conflict. Technological developments since the 19th century have only exacerbated the potential for and reality of environment damage associated with armed conflict. Chemical defoliants such as Agent Orange, depleted uranium munitions, chemical and nuclear weapons have all caused significant environmental harms. Conventional weapons, too, have caused environmental damage through, for example, the release of toxic chemical contamination or oil spills from bombed industrial sites, and the deliberate or accidental burning of oil wells. Landmines have rendered vast areas, including agriculturally productive areas, unusable, while intentional modification of the environment through, for example, causing floods or drought has been used as a direct weapon of war. More recently the environment has been implicated as an ‘accessory’ in the conduct of armed conflict with ‘conflict

Journal

Nordic Journal of International LawBrill

Published: Jan 1, 2013

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