How Unexploded Bombs Cause Environmental Damage – and Why Climate Change Exacerbates the Problem

Sep 3, 2025 | Sarah Njeri
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There are a record number of conflicts raging around the world – from Ukraine and Gaza to Sudan and Myanmar. Alongside their devastating human toll, these conflicts are all wreaking havoc on the environment.

One of the key ways war leads to environmental harm is by leaving behind unexploded weaponry. Since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, Ukraine has become the most landmine-contaminated country in the world. By January 2024, roughly 25,000 sq km of agricultural land there was estimated to have been contaminated with landmines and other so-called explosive remnants of war.