Fighting without a Planet B: How IHL Protects the Natural Environment in Armed Conflict

May 25, 2021 | Vanessa Murphy and Helen Obregón Gieseken
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Armed conflicts from Kuwait to Vietnam continue to remind us that the environment can be deeply scarred by war, a reality that climate risks now magnify for many dependent communities. But while a certain amount of environmental damage may be considered inherent to war, the destruction must and does have limits. This post by ICRC legal advisers Vanessa Murphy and Helen Obregón, which launches a series on war, law and the environment co-hosted with the Conflict and Environment Observatory, provides an overview of the ICRC’s updated Guidelines on the Protection of the Natural Environment in Armed Conflict and sets out measures to accelerate better respect for international humanitarian law (IHL) rules protecting the natural environment.