From the mining of territories to ecocide: how military action destroys natural ecosystems and the future of nations

Every year on 6 November, in accordance with a resolution of the UN General Assembly, the International Day for Preventing the Exploitation of the Environment in War and Armed Conflict is observed. The resolution establishing this day was adopted in 2001 to draw the international community’s attention to the fact that the environment often becomes an unknown and unprotected victim of armed aggression.

For a long time, the damage inflicted on the natural environment during wartime was regarded as ‘collateral damage’. However, the UN emphasises that lasting peace is impossible if natural resources — sources of drinking water, fertile land, forests and mineral resources — are destroyed or illegally exploited for the purposes of military operations.

The long-term environmental consequences of military action

War deals a devastating blow to ecosystems, the effects of which are felt for decades after the end of active hostilities. The contamination of soil and aquifers with toxic chemicals resulting from explosions and fires poses a long-term threat to the health of the civilian population.

Among the most serious environmental consequences of armed conflicts, scientists and environmentalists highlight the following:

• Landmines and contamination by explosive ordnance: contaminated land becomes unsuitable for agriculture and dangerous for wildlife.
• Destruction of forests and protected areas: forest fires caused by shelling are scorching thousands of hectares of unique ecosystems and destroying the habitats of rare species.
• Pollution of water resources: the destruction of treatment plants, the flooding of mines and damage to industrial facilities lead to heavy metals and petroleum products entering rivers and seas.
• The carbon footprint of war: large-scale fires, the movement of heavy machinery and the destruction of infrastructure result in colossal emissions of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.

The significance of the date for Ukraine and the recording of environmental offences

For Ukraine, this international date is of the utmost importance. The Russian Federation’s full-scale military aggression has caused the most extensive environmental disasters in Europe in recent decades, including the destruction of the dam at the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Station, the destruction of protected areas in the Dnieper Delta and the Black Sea Biosphere Reserve, and widespread land contamination.

Ukraine has become the first country in the world to systematically document environmental damage caused by the war as crimes of ecocide, with a view to holding the aggressor accountable under international law and financially liable. The use of international law to protect the environment during wartime is a crucial step towards ensuring global environmental security for future generations.

Read more news on GreenPost.