Landmines, Climate Change and New Environmental Guidance

Jul 27, 2024 | Linsey Cottrell
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Wars damage the environment in many ways. Landmines and other explosive remnants of war (ERW) can remain in the ground for decades after conflicts end. Not only do they present a threat to people and ecosystems while in place, clearing ERW can also adversely impact the environment if not properly managed. This can be due to cratering, soil erosion, vegetation removal or localised pollution.

They are a global threat. Even before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine an estimated 60 million people lived in areas affected by ERW contamination. For example, Afghanistan, Cambodia, Iraq and South Korea are all classed as massively contaminated by anti-personnel mines. In some cases, the full extent of contamination remains unknown. In 2023, Ukraine estimated that approximately 174,000 km² of its territory needed to be surveyed for contamination, and is now considered to be among the most mined countries in the world. The extent of contamination in Azerbaijan, Morocco and Myanmar is also unknown, but likely to be massive. For cluster munitions, there are no reliable estimates for Vietnam and Lao PDR, but more than 1,000 km² are believed to be contaminated.