The term scorched earth in warfare can take on many meanings. Particular concern is needed regarding the impact of conflict on the environment and the places people live in. This can lead to severe damage.
Military activity can cause water table and land destruction. The effects can last for decades and include toxicity from chemicals, gases, and other pollutants that can reach the ground. These environmental factors increase the challenges of food supply and security.
Combat operations, wherever they are conducted, can cause environmental damage. Historical research shows that the massing armies led to the destruction of the harvest and the transformation of the battlefield to mud in ancient times. Modern warfare techniques and the destructive power of weaponry have dramatically increased the environmental impacts of military operations.
Population growth, intensive extraction and use natural resources and the systemic destruction of habitats due to urbanization, agriculture, mechanized soil clearing, and transportation systems all have an impact on the environment.
Numerous ongoing conflicts all over the globe are causing havoc to ecosystems. If properly trained, some forces understand how environmental factors affect military planning. It is crucial for a commander to understand the location of enemy fuel storage facilities in order to defeat an enemy force and seize its defensive position. They may be close to water sources that provide water for a large portion of the local population.
High-intensity conflict requires and consumes large amounts of fuel. This results in high levels of carbon dioxide emissions that contribute to climate change. The environment and civilians trapped between warring forces can also be affected by smoke from a fire.
Large-scale vehicle movements and the heavy use of explosive ordnance can cause extensive physical damage to sensitive landscapes. Explosive weapons can also cause soil and air pollution by generating large amounts of debris and rubble in urban areas. Damage to light industry or other environmentally sensitive infrastructure like water treatment plants can also lead to pollution.
The loss in energy supplies can have reverberating negative effects on the environment. For example, it can cause treatment plants or pumping stations to close down. It can also result in the use more polluting fuels, or domestic generators.
There are other environmental factors that must be considered when fighting is taking place. Large areas of land and water are essential for military forces to operate. This is true for both bases and facilities, as well as testing and training. The military is estimated to use between 1 and 6 percent of the world’s land. Many of these areas are ecologically important. Protecting environmentally sensitive areas from development is good for biodiversity, but it is seldom discussed if they could be better managed by being protected areas. Military training can cause emissions and disruption of habitats on land and sea, as well chemical and noise pollution, due to the use weapons, aircraft, and vehicles.
In addition to the ongoing disposal costs of maintaining and renewing military materials and equipment, there are also implications for the environment. Environment problems can be caused by not only the most dangerous weapons, such as chemical or nuclear weapons. Problems can also be caused by conventional weapons, especially if they are open-burned or detonated. It is a common practice to dump large quantities of surplus munitions at sea, which must be stopped.
Another problem is the lack of oversight over the environmental damage that military forces cause. Many countries are now facing serious environmental consequences from military pollution, which can have a devastating impact on public health and require huge amounts of money to fix. As new pollutants like forever chemicals are identified, the challenges will only grow.
Environmental legacies of military activities are also a problem around overseas bases. Here, one-sided agreements can reduce environmental oversight. Therefore, bilateral military relationships must include environmental components and consider the impacts on climate change. The military is not prepared for the climate changes that are predicted to occur by 2030.
Conflicts and other activities involving military or armed groups can be polluting and require regulation and penalties. People and their security are affected by the environmental damage caused by an uprising or insurrection, terrorist attack, or combat.
Some armed conflicts are short-term but can be very destructive. While some civil wars can last for decades, they are often of low intensity. Modern conflicts blur these lines, lasting years but with sustained bursts high-intensity war. The environmental effects of these disputes have a strong impact on who is fighting, where they’re fighting, and how they’re fighting.
