Grave environmental harm resulting from war is evident once again in the current war in Ukraine. The environment has even been used as a means of warfare, such as when belligerents apply scorched earth tactics, pollute their enemy’s water supply, or use biological or chemical weaponry directly in combat. History is full of examples where the environment was a prime victim of warfare. The natural environment is a major loser in any armed conflict. The natural environment as a victim in the Ukraine war The threat of environmental harm in Ukraine reaches far across the country’s borders and should be viewed through the eyes of international criminal law. But the environment in Ukraine is still suffering a great deal under the war. In these kinds of conflicts, the natural environment often recedes into the background. The war in Ukraine has challenged international relations and brought unspeakable harm to the population of Ukraine, its culture, and its infrastructure. They also underline how closely warfare is linked with human suffering and environmental harm. They represent the harm and threat potential for humans found within these acts of environmental warfare. These stand as examples of the damage wrought upon the environment by the ongoing war in Ukraine. A sign demarcating a radioactive zone near Chernobyl Power Plant (Photo: BBC)įires in the closed and highly radioactive exclusion zone around Chernobyl, the leak of ammonia from a factory in Sumy, and missiles hitting Europe’s largest nuclear power plant in Zaporizhzhia. David has previously written for JiC on climate change and international law here. David is as a research assistant at the FH Aachen (Germany) and am PhD candidate at the Vrije Universiteit Brussels, specialising in international environmental criminal law. David Krott joins JiC for this guest post on damage inflicted by the war in Ukraine on the natural environment, and its possible treatment by international criminal law.
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