Conflict Pollution: Lessons from Iraq

Mar 5, 2024 | A.S. Harinath and Ahmed Ali
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When conflicts end, the tragic impact of lives lost, damages, and the countless needs of people left in its wake are overwhelmingly visible. There are also other long-lasting and damaging consequences that are less visible, such as conflict pollution.  

Conflict pollution as it is called, occurs when battling forces destroy industries, power plants, infrastructure, leave behind military waste, landmines, or hazardous chemicals. Some areas of France and Belgium are still affected by heavy metal contamination from the intensive use of munitions in World War I.