Military ecocide

Military ecocide, the destruction of the natural environment in the course of fighting or preparing for war, has a long history and remains a prominent feature of contemporary conflicts. Efforts to prohibit this in International Law were initiated after the US’ notorious defoliation campaign in the Vietnam War in the 1960s and have developed since then. Whilst legal ambiguities and the defence of military necessity have limited the application of this body of law the proscription of ecocide has, nevertheless, progressed and looks set to develop further. Normative change driven by scientists, environmentalists and legal experts has raised awareness of and stigmatized such practises to the extent that recourse to the worst excesses of ecocide now appears to have lessened and some recompense for past crimes has been made. Military activities, though, continue to inflict a heavy cost on the environment and the drive for a more explicit legal prohibition of this has grown.

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