Protection of the Environment in Relation to Armed Conflict
Publisher: Conflict and Environment Observatory and PAX
Author(s): Doug Weir and Wim Zwijnenburg
Date: 2019
Topics: Climate Change, Extractive Resources, Governance, Programming
The past year has seen unprecedented attention to the deteriorating condition of the global environment, and its consequences for sustainable development, human security, and ecosystems. Alarms are sounding on land degradation, biodiversity loss, pollution, and the climate emergency. Armed conflicts are contributing to all of these threats. They also weaken the capacity of states to respond to them. Environmental concerns should feature in many of the topics on the agenda of the First Committee, yet they are rarely articulated by delegations. This is particularly true for the environmental consequences of the proliferation and use of conventional weapons and ammunition. By focusing only on the environmental dimensions of disarmament1 , the First Committee’s approach has been akin to debating the technicalities of weapons disposal while ignoring the humanitarian consequences of their use. This is a situation that is becoming increasingly untenable.