The Human Cost of War’s Environmental Impact

Oct 11, 2016 | Wim Zwijnenburg
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The environmental damage caused by wars and conflicts, and more importantly what can be done to limit the impact of conflict-related environmental damage on civilians, has largely been absent from the broader discussions on how wars are fought. With the ongoing conflict in Syria, the impact of years of shelling and destruction brought upon the land will certainly have long-term repercussions on environment, natural resources, economic recovery and, consequently, on the livelihoods of civilians.

Since the outbreak of the peaceful uprising against president al-Assad and the subsequent war, the trail of environmental destruction and consequent public health risks is difficult to estimate precisely although there have been some initial attempts. In October 2015, PAX, a Dutch NGO working on peacebuilding and humanitarian disarmament, published its desktop study on the environmental and public health impact of the conflict.