Guest Writer: Ojekunle Aderemi
'Though mankind has always counted its war casualties in terms of dead and wounded soldiers and civilians, destroyed cities and livelihoods, the environment remains the unpublicized victim of war.'
'Though mankind has always counted its war casualties in terms of dead and wounded soldiers and civilians, destroyed cities and livelihoods, the environment remains the unpublicized victim of war.'
I salute every courageous environmental activist, social workers, and others in this celebration of enlightenment which the UN has set aside for the education of the impacts of war and armed conflict on our environment.
The United Nations’ (UN) International Day for Preventing the Exploitation of the Environment in War and Armed Conflict is annually held on November 6; it aims to educate people about the damaging effects of war and armed conflict on the environment The day is also set aside to sensitize people on the impact of war and armed conflict on our environment. As well as the cost to human life and society, there is a significant environmental impact when it comes to war.
War and armed conflict has many damaging effects on the natural environment. For example, crops are destroyed, water supplies are poisoned and forests are burnt; and with technological advancements, new technology in relation to war means that the damage and destruction of the environment is more serious and the long-term consequences are worse.
Though mankind has always counted its war casualties in terms of dead and wounded soldiers and civilians, destroyed cities and livelihoods, the environment remains the unpublicized victim of war. Water wells are polluted, crops torched, forests cut down, soils poisoned, and animals killed to gain military advantage. With the high degree mechanisation of the military, large amounts of fossil fuels are used which is also a major contributor to global warming and climate change, issues of increasing concern to the environment.
In Africa alone, many civil wars and wars between countries occurred in the past century, some of which are still continuing. Most wars occurred as a result of the liberation of countries after decades of colonization; Countries fought over artificial borders drawn by former colonial rulers. Wars mainly occur in densely populated regions, over the division of scarce resources such as fertile farmland. It is very hard to estimate the exact environmental impact of each of these wars. The most striking environmental effects, including biodiversity loss, famine, sanitation problems at refugee camps and over-fishing are given for different countries.
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has found that over the last 60 years, at least 40 percent of all internal conflicts have been linked to the exploitation of natural resources, whether high-value resources such as timber, diamonds, gold and oil, or scarce resources such as fertile land and water. Conflicts involving natural resources have also been found to be twice as likely to relapse. It should be noted that every action on the environment influences conflict prevention, peacekeeping and peace building strategies - because there can be no durable peace if the natural resources that sustain livelihoods and ecosystems are destroyed.
This day should be a clarion call for many people around the world, including government officials, scientists, journalists, educators, and business people to observe the UN’s International Day for Preventing the Exploitation of the Environment in War and Armed Conflict in their own little way at preventing war and conflict, advocating efficient and effective use of energy, reduce emission of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere by planting trees and other measures in their surroundings to succumb its effects, enlightening and discussing the effects of war on the environment as well as human lives. Also, nations should work together at building a common ground for peace keeping and dialogue in the international scene through co-operative efforts
"We must recognize peace and security as a critical “fourth dimension” of sustainable development. We must also acknowledge that durable peace and post-conflict development depend on environmental protection and good governance of natural resources." - Ban Ki-Moon
We must not only recognize peace and security as a critical role towards sustainable environment. We have work assiduously to educate, enlighten, and advocate for sustainable environment among peers in order to reduce the effect of war and armed conflict on our environment so as to bridge peaceful society, because when the environment is not conducive for all, there would be no peace.
ABOUT OUR GUEST WRITEROjekunle Aderemi is the Director of Research and Publicity for Young Volunteers for the Environment International. Connect with him on twitter @RemmyAlex
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