Environmental Wartime Protection is Central to the Protection of Civilians

Jul 9, 2024 | Laetitia Courtois
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Statement delivered by Laetitia Courtois, Permanent Observer and Head of Delegation, at UN Security Council Arria-Formula Meeting "Stepping up Preventive Action: From Environment Challenges to Opportunities for Peace" on 8 July 2024 in New York City.

Mr. Chair, Excellencies,

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) welcomes today’s important discussion on the need to step up preventive action to protect the environment and how doing so can contribute to peace.

The natural environment has too often remained a silent casualty of war, with severe and complex consequences for conflict-affected populations. The intersection of conflict, climate risks and environmental degradation can amplify tensions, exacerbate vulnerabilities, and deepen inequalities.

The growing use of explosive weapons in densely populated or urban areas – for instance – destroys civilian infrastructure and disrupts essential services, worsening environmental damage through the contamination of soil, water, air, and other life-sustaining resources, persisting far beyond the end of hostilities themselves.

For conflict-affected communities feeling the direct impact of climate hazards, adaptive capacities are already limited, as people, systems, and institutions struggle to survive the devastation of war.